The Impact of Intercultural Online Exchange on the Development of Sociolinguistic Competence among English Majors in Vietnam: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

This study investigates students’ perceived development of sociolinguistic competence following their participation in an extracurricular intercultural online exchange. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach with 198 first-year English majors at the A2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) who were enrolled in Essential Listening and Speaking and Introduction to the English Language courses at a university in Vietnam. The 12-week exchange program was conducted in parallel to formal coursework. The researchers collected quantitative data through a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire measuring pragmatic awareness, communicative appropriateness, politeness strategies, and cultural sensitivity. The researchers conducted descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, a one-sample t-test, and Pearson correlations using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Results indicated that the overall post-exchange perception score was significantly higher than the neutral midpoint (p < .001), with cultural sensitivity receiving the highest rating. Correlation analysis revealed moderate positive relationships among the four dimensions. To elaborate on these findings, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 participants. Thematic analysis indicated increased awareness of sociocultural norms, perceived improvement in pragmatic adjustment, and enhanced communicative confidence. Overall, the findings suggest that scaffolded extracurricular virtual exchange may support early-stage sociolinguistic development among lower-proficiency English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. By focusing on lower-proficiency English majors in the Vietnamese higher education context, this study addresses the limited empirical evidence on how scaffolded intercultural online exchange supports sociolinguistic development and offers pedagogical implications for integrating virtual exchange into EFL speaking instruction.