The role of interactive, constructive, active, and passive learning activities (ICAPCALL) in shaping students’ online engagement, and learning approaches to virtual exchange (SAVE): a bisymmetric approach

Abstract

In computer-assisted language learning (CALL), a variety of studies have explored the use of Virtual Exchange (VE) for shaping learners' cultural competence from the perspective of sociolinguistics. However, few studies have examined learners' psycholinguistic factors in this context. Since based on the dynamic complex system, students' psycholinguistic factors act independently and in conjunction with each other in any language learning context. Thus, by applying stimulus-organism-response theory (S-O-R), we explored these inter-correlations in this context. In this case, we used Interactive, Constructive, Passive, and Active activities in CALL (ICAP), which have not been integrated into the field as stimuli to shape learners' online engagement as organisms and approaches to VE as a response. Accordingly, we integrated VE tasks into their language and cultural exchanges with Cypriot and Irish students in their respective partner universities based on ICAPCALL. The ICAPCALL and Students' Approach to Virtual Exchange (SAVE) were validated through partial least square modeling (PLS-SEM) in the VE. Moreover, the serial mediation analysis showed that learners could establish knowledge individually or collaboratively, influencing behavior and cognitive engagement to ask questions and exchange information to solve complex learning problems, stimulating a VE deepening approach. Moreover, the Necessary Conditional Analysis (NCA) revealed that passive and active learning activities were among the necessary conditions in shaping learners' deep approach to VE; however, a further level of them could not increase their deep approach to it. Based on these findings, the study introduces a new psycholinguistic framework to the VE, namely as a SAVE, and language learning activities to the CALL literature, namely as an ICAPCALL, and provides a new interconnectedness of learners' dynamic complex systems in the VE and highlights the importance of teachers maintaining a balance between collaborative and individual learning activities in this context to shape students' deep approach.