The Canadian Modern Language Review. Special Issue 2027
Although within language learning, the word authentic is widely evoked, virtual exchanges, offer up opportunities to go beyond traditional in-class teaching by enabling learners to communicate and interact with speakers of target language communities. Since the advent of the internet in the 1990s, instructors of second/foreign/additional languages have increasingly engaged students in virtual exchanges (or telecollaboration) as a means to develop language and/or intercultural competence (O’Dowd, 2017). Such emerging practices currently underway portend a potentially transformative paradigm shift in terms of the way language learning and teaching are conceptualized. This special issue is dedicated to the exploration of these practices.
As one type of virtual exchange, tandem language learning (TLL), as originally defined by Brammerts (1996), refers to “two learners of different native languages [who] work together in order to learn their partner’s language and also to learn more about his or her background” (p. 121). Although the word native speaker is evoked, in today’s multilingual, multicultural contexts, the notion of competent speaker appears as a more appropriate designation, , particularly in school settings where students’ language of schooling may be an additional language (Parks et al., 2024). When conducted virtually, such exchanges are referred to as eTandems (Cziko, 2004) or teletandems (Telles & Vassallo, 2006). Due to language learning preferences, setting up eTandem partnerships is not always possible; in such instances or for particular objectives, the exchanges are pursued by means of a lingua franca (for example, English) or as a mixed lingua franca/ tandem exchange.
Although research on virtual exchanges, including eTandem, points to their value (Akiyama, 2014; Cappellini, 2016; Leone, Aranha, & Cavalari, 2023; Strawbridge, 2021), certain areas remain underexplored (Dooly & Vinagre, 2021). Of these, it is important to note the dearth of research in elementary and secondary school contexts (Clavel-Arroitia & Pennock-Speck, 2015), and within Canada, school (Flick, 2013; Giguère & Parks, 2018; Priego, 2011), Quebec pre-university college (Fischer et al., 2019), and university (Canals, 2020) contexts. More research is also needed to investigate gains in language learning (Akiyama & Saito, 2016). Arellano & Parks, 2021a; Canals, 2020; Sippel & Martin, 2024), the multimodal aspects of negotiation of meaning/form (Arellano & Parks, 2021b; Canals, 2021), as well as the relative benefits of eTandem as compared to lingua franca configurations (Bueno-Alastuey, 2013). Researchers (Jauregi & Melchor-Couto, 2018; O’Dowd, 2015; Parks et al., 2024) have also underscored the challenges of implementing virtual exchanges.
This special issue invites contributions on a range of topics, including (but not limited to):
- virtual exchanges, including eTandem, in elementary and secondary school contexts
- exchanges with at least one Canadian partner
- evidence of gains pertaining to language learning
- role of multimodality, including translanguaging/plurilingualism, in regard to negotiation of meaning/form
- comparisons of eTandem and lingua franca with respect to language and/or cultural learning
- benefits and challenges related to intercultural exchanges
- teacher perspectives in terms of how exchanges are conceptualized and implemented
- virtual reality or artificial intelligence (e.g. ChatGPT) in the context of virtual exchanges
- exchanges involving less learned or minority languages, including indigenous languages
- integration of virtual exchanges, including eTandem, in teacher education courses
- integration of virtual exchanges in the foreign language curriculum (K-12, higher education, vocational education and training, etc.)
recognition scheme of virtual exchange participation by awarding degree-relevant academic credits and workload reduction for the organizers (teachers and professors)
Deadline for submitting an article: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Both research and more pedagogically oriented articles for the In the Classroom section will be accepted. Submissions can be written in English or French and must be sent electronically through the ScholarOne system: https://mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/cmlr
Receipt of manuscripts will be acknowledged by ScholarOne.
Questions relating to the special issue of the CMLR can be addressed to the editors:
Susan Parks
Université Laval susan.parks@lli.ulaval.ca
Laia Canals
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya ecanalsf@uoc.edu
Tony Jenniss
First Nations Education Council tjenniss@cepn-fnec.com