Sociocultural Influences on Communication Strategies in Synchronous Online ELF Video Discussions: Implications for Young Chinese Adults’ Language Learning
Abstract
This study investigates how young Chinese adults (YCAs) use communication strategies (CSs) under the influence of their sociocultural norms in synchronous online English as a lingua franca (ELF) video discussions. Adopting a mixed-methods approach combining video observations and stimulated recall interviews (SRIs), this study revealed a gap between the YCAs’ CS repertoire, which focused on self-monitoring, and the collaborative demands of ELF communication. Quantitative analysis indicates that YCAs relied heavily on self-monitoring CSs (e.g., fillers, self-repetition) to ensure linguistic accuracy but made limited use of other-initiated CSs for meaning negotiation and co-creation compared with their Malaysian peers. Qualitative analysis confirms that the YCAs' relatively passive use of interactional CSs was shaped by sociocultural concerns related to politeness and face-saving, which led to unequal interactional labor. The online context further amplified this sociocultural inhibition. This study identifies a politeness dilemma: sociocultural obligations to maintain harmony may hinder effective ELF communication. The findings, therefore, challenge the common assumption of proactive collaboration in ELF contexts. Pedagogical interventions should instead reframe meaning negotiations, which tend to be perceived as a face-threatening imposition, as a constructive and collaborative communicative resource.