Access to materials from four Hispanic countries as contributing factor of production

In the process of interpreting and relating to cultural information, learners utilized the tools available to them (i.e., knowledge about their culture and other cultures). Having access to a wider range of information prompted learners to compare information from different perspectives, which enriched their understanding of the foreign culture and their own.

As seen in Table 16, the dimension of interpreting and relating was present in all discussion forums. Interestingly, the number of coding references fluctuated from 30 to 97, a considerable difference. Comparisons of the difference in numbers of instances were found to be connected to the method utilized for the viewing of the Intercultura materials in this study. For forums 7, 9, and 10, which are the forums with the lowest number of references for the skill of interpreting and relating, participants had access to materials for one country.

On the other hand, the forums with the highest number of references (forums 8, 10, and 12) correspond to the forums for which participants had access to information from four Hispanic countries. In the interpretation of these figures, it should be noted that entries to forums were similar across all forums. For example, for forum 9 (in-class viewing) there were 127 entries and for forum 10 (out-of-class viewing) there were 127 entries. Even though the number of entries is almost the same across forums, the number of instances for the dimension of interpreting and relating for these forums is completely different. There were 97 instances of interpreting and relating in forum 10, and 41 (less than half) for forum 9.

Upon examination of the forum postings it became evident that access to a greater amount of cultural information (i.e., information from four countries compared to one country) had an effect on the number of instances for the dimension of interpreting and relating. The contents of the forums showed that in the forums for which participants had access to four countries, participants discussed the topic of the forum from different perspectives: The participants discussed the practices of the cultural topic in the four

countries, US culture, and their own culture. However, for forums for which they had access to one country, the discussion centered on the interpretation of the cultural practices in the Hispanic country being focused upon and also on the point of view of US culture and their own culture. In Example (11), for instance, we can see how in their interaction, Rick, who takes on the role of apprentice, is able to draw comparisons between the information of the country assigned to him (Chile) and the information about Colombia described by Mark. In addition, Rick is able to compare the downtown area of his home city and Mark’s hometown. The interpretation of the information provides evidence that having access to information from four countries increased the opportunities participants had to interpret and relate to

more points of the foreign culture presented since more information was available to them for the making of comparisons.

Example 11

Exchange 1 (Mark, Forum Chapter 8, 2011) Topic: Foro Hispano Capítulo 8

Subject: Capítulo 8 - Colombia Author: Mark

En Colombia hay muchas cosas en el centro de la ciudad. El centro de la ciudad tiene un plaza principal que tiene un catedral y usualmente un club social. Tambén la ciudad tiene edificios modernos. En las avenidas principales hay vendedores que venden muchas cosas como electrodomésticos, ropa, y mucho más. Tambén hay cafes, bares, y restaurantes. Mi ciudad Chariton, Iowa es más similar que Colombia. En mi ciudad hay un plaza principal. Tiene restaurantitos y las pequeñas empresas y tiendas de abarrotes. Tambén tiene barres y cafés. Hay una diferencia entre mi ciudad y Colombia. La plaza principal en mi ciudad tiene edificios antiguos y apartmentos. Las catedrals están cerca del centro de la ciudad, pero no en el propio centro. No hay transporte público o un gran club social pero hay un hospital. Mi ciudad es más similar a Colombia de lo que pensaba. Gracias.

[In Colombia there are many things in the downtown area of the city. In the downtown area there is a main plaza with a cathedral and there is usually a social club. There are also modern buildings in the city. In the main avenues (in downtown) there are vendors that sell household appliances, clothing, and many other things. There are also coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. My city of Chariton, Iowa, is similar to Colombia. In my city there is a main plaza. There are small restaurants, small shops, and grocery stores. There are also bars and coffee shops. There is a difference between my city and Colombia. There are old buildings and apartment complexes in the main plaza in downtown. The cathedral is near downtown, but is it not in downtown. There is no public transportation or a social club but there is a hospital. My city is more similar to Colombia than what I thought. Thanks] Exchange 2 (Rick, Forum chapter 8, 2011)

Topic: Foro Hispano Capítulo 8

Subject: Re:Capítulo 8 - Colombia Author: Rick

Su ciudad no es similar a la mía. Yo vivo en una ciudad grande que tiene muchas diferencias respecto a Colombia, pero suena interesante y es muy similar a Chile.

[Mark, your city is not similar to mine. I live in a big city that has more differences with Colombia, but your city sounds interesting and similar to Chile].

The noticing of the similarities and differences by Mark and Rick in Example (11) provides evidence of how participants were able to interpret information about the foreign

cultures (C2) using their knowledge about their own (C1). In addition, the comparisons made by Mark and Rick demonstrate how exposure to a greater number of cultural perspectives on the same topic increased the noticing of similarities and differences between the native culture and the different perspectives of the Hispanic cultures.