Words out of feelings: Global competence and emotional intelligence in a virtual exchange program

Abstract

The exploratory research presented in this chapter was conducted in a virtual exchange with 92 students from Brazil and the U.S. in the context of the Teletandem Brasil Project (http://www.teletandembrasil. org/). The study analyzes the roles of global competence and emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2001; Zeidner et al., 2009) in discussions about the Amazon rainforest, forests in Alaska, and the challenges faced by Indigenous populations in Brazil and in the U.S. The data of pre-task surveys and collaborative tasks is analyzed following Goleman's (2001) model of emotional competences and the global competence matrix (2011). The results have implications for language learning and telecollaborative environments in relation to the intentionality and choices in the design of tasks and their potential for raising critical thinking and global competence.