ePrints

“Our group was by far the coolest”: Multimodal team-building practices and English as a lingua franca in a virtual intercultural game

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Milene OliveiraORCiD

Downloads

• Published version [.pdf]

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

Virtual collaborations via video-conferencing applications may enable international groups to develop ideas and explore synergies in creative ways. This article presents a case study that unveils how students in a group involved in a virtual simulation game, in which English as a lingua franca was used, navigate a highly intercultural environment, orient to team building through cooperative practices, and gradually develop their own team culture. The game was inserted in two online university courses in tertiary institutions in Germany and Finland. In the game, students performed several tasks that require collaborative work in the development plan of a fictitious city. The data for the study comprise video-recorded game interactions and students’ learning journal entries. This article is centered on the multimodal analysis of the interactions taking place during the kick-off session of the game and showcases successful multimodal strategies that aided the development of an inclusive and positive atmosphere in the group.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Oliveira M, Räisänen T, Oittinen T

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Pragmatics and Society

Year: 2025

Volume: 16

Issue: 4

Pages: 590-617

Print publication date: 01/08/2025

Online publication date: 17/10/2024

Acceptance date: 05/09/2024

Date deposited: 24/01/2025

ISSN (print): 1878-9714

ISSN (electronic): 1878-9722

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Co.

URL: https://doi.org/10.1075/ps.23025.men

DOI: 10.1075/ps.23025.men

Altmetrics

Funding

Share