Transformative Learning and ICC Development: The Case of SPVE-Centered Tasks

Driven by the goal to better prepare language learners to engage in an increasingly interconnected world, this dissertation examined the effectiveness of transformative learning theory-guided service provider virtual exchange (SPVE)-centered tasks in fostering intercultural communicative competence (ICC) among third-year Spanish language learners. Specifically, it explored: (1) how language learners experience perspective transformation with SPVE-centered tasks specifically designed to facilitate transformative learning and (2) the relationship between perspective transformation and ICC development. Using a mixed methods approach, this study analyzed participants’ transformative learning experiences, influential activities and interactions, and participants’ ICC development after participating in the SPVE-centered transformative learning tasks. The findings demonstrated the positive potential of transformative learning theory as a guiding pedagogical and theoretical framework for ICC development in SPVEs. In terms of transformative learning experiences, the results of the present dissertation indicated that engagement in the SPVE-centered transformative learning tasks primarily prompted participants to experience the reflection on and assessment of their perspectives. These experiences were influenced by the cumulative effect of task activities, with particular emphasis on the SPVE sessions, which provided crucial native speaker interactions. In the area of ICC, this dissertation found that after participating in the SPVE-centered transformative learning tasks, participants demonstrated ICC gains from pre- to post-test in all three domains (cognitive, affective, and behavioral). The results revealed several additional influential variables affected participants’ ICC development (related to perceived transformative learning experiences and gender). Much like the transformative learning experiences, ICC development was largely attributed to the SPVE sessions and the native speaker interactions within them.
Overall, this dissertation found the SPVE-centered transformative learning tasks to be successful and recommends further exploration of transformative learning theory as a guiding framework for fostering ICC development in SPVE contexts.