Value Orientations and Off-Topic Interactions - Contradictions in American–Japanese Intercultural Telecollaboration

Oct 15, 2026

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Drawing on activity theory and its layered notion of contradictions, the study examines tensions that surfaced during a six-week telecollaborative project between American learners of Japanese and Japanese learners of English. Transpacific groups engaged in online discussions on pre-assigned topics plus reflective supplementary tasks including weekly journals and individual interviews. A three-stage grounded theory coding process identifies major contradictions and analyzes how negotiation of learner expectations and interaction manners evolves through expansive transformation across neighboring activity systems.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Cultural Historical Activity Theory

calico journal (online) issn 2056–9017 Article Value Orientations and Off-Topic Interactions: Contradictions in American–Japanese Intercultural Telecollaboration Tomoe Nishio 1 and Masanobu Nakatsugawa2 Abstract Drawing from activity theory and its notion of contradictions of various levels, the present study analyzes tensions that emerged during a six-week telecollaborative project between American learners of Japanese (AMU students) and Japanese learners of English (JPU students) regarding expectations and manners of interaction. Transpacific groups of students participated in online discussions of pre-assigned topics anda series of supplemental, reflective tasks such as in-class discussions, weekly journals, and individual interviews. Using a three-stage grounded theory data coding strategy, major contradictions were identified and analyzed. This case study presents negotiation of an emergent contradiction concerning learner expectations and manners of interaction between two transpacific groups. The object of the two JPU participants was oriented more toward exchange value and they faced a contradiction when the transpacific conversation went off-topic, while their AMU partners enjoyed it. Findings also show how the negotiation of a contradiction in an activity system undergoes expansive transformation involving a neighboring activity system. Keywords: Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT); contradictions; telecollaboration; intercultural communication Affiliation 1University of North Georgia. [email: Tomoe.Nishio@ung.edu](email: Tomoe.Nishio@ung.edu) ~~[2](2Otaru University of Commerce.)~~[Otaru University of Commerce.](2Otaru University of Commerce.)[ ](2Otaru University of Commerce.)[email: masa@res.otaru-uc.ac.jp](email: masa@res.otaru-uc.ac.jp) calico journal vol 35.3 2018 294–311 [https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.33822](https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.33822) ©2018, equinox publishing Tomoe Nishio and Masanobu Nakatsugawa 295 Introduction Individuals can learn languages for many reasons, such as an immediate need in their socioeconomic environment. Different learners value different aspects of target language proficiency, and their motivation and priority are inherently multifaceted and always negotiated in a given context (Madyarov, 2008) . With technological advancements expanding the avenues of language learning via digital media, intercultural telecollaboration is recognized as a meaningful mode of language learning to accomplish intended learning outcomes via online exchanges. To better understand the complex human activities in the context of telecollaboration, the unique potential of activity theory was acknowledged in recent years for the in-depth analysis of tensions in telecollaborative projects (Antoniadou, 2011; Basharina, 2007; Madyarov & Taef, 2012). Activity theory is rooted in the work of Vygotsky (1987) and was developed by modern scholars such as Engeström (1987; 2001), often referred to as Cultural Historical Activity Theory (henceforth CHAT). This model captures “a multitude of relations” (Engeström, 1987, p. 78) between factors involved in the context of a human activity, which allows for depicting dynamic configurations of an activity and its transformations over time. Building on previous research, we explore tensions in a six-week intercultural telecollaborative project between a Japanese-language course at a university in the Southern U.S. and an English-language course at a university located in Hokkaido, Japan. The primary activity of the telecollaboration was asynchronous pair discussion using Google Hangouts. Two questions guided this study: (1) What types of contradictions arise in the central activity systems in intercultural telecollaboration? and (2) How are the identified contradictions negotiated? Literature Review Cultural Historical Activity Theory CHAT is a set of basic principles constituting a general conceptual system called an activity syst

FAQs

What framework guides the study of the telecollaborative tensions?

The research uses activity theory, specifically Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), and focuses on contradictions at multiple levels to analyze tensions during telecollaboration.

What research setting and activities are examined?

The study analyzes a six-week intercultural telecollaborative project involving asynchronous pair discussion (via Google Hangouts) alongside reflective tasks such as in-class discussions, weekly journals, and individual interviews.

What contradiction is highlighted in the findings?

The case study focuses on negotiation of a contradiction related to learner expectations and interaction manners, where one group’s orientation toward exchange value clashes with off-topic conversation preferences of the other group.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fans