Cross-cultural language learning and web design complexity

(2012) Cross-cultural language learning and web design complexity. Interactive Learning Environments. Notice: Changes introduced as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing and formatting may not be reflected in this document. For a definitive version of this work, please refer to the published source: Abstract Accepting the fact that culture and language are interrelated in second language learning (SLL), the Web sites should be designed to integrate with the cultural aspects. Yet many SLL Web sites fail to integrate with the cultural aspects and/or focus on language acquisition only. This study identified three issues: 1) anthropologists' cultural models mostly adopted in cross-cultural Web user interface have been superficially used; 2) Web designers deal with culture as a fixed one which needs to be modeled into interface design elements, so 3) there is a need for a communication framework between educators and design practitioners, which can be utilized in Web design processes. This paper discusses what anthropology can contribute to language learning, mediated through Web design processes and suggests a cultural user experience framework for Web-based SLL by presenting an exemplary matrix. To evaluate the effectiveness of the framework, the key stakeholders (learners, teachers and designers) participated in a case scenario-based evaluation. The result shows a high possibility that the framework can enhance the effective communication and collaboration for the cultural integration.