Mundos digitais virtuais tridimensionais como ambiente para o desenvolvimento de competência intercultural

Abstract

The study is aimed to identify whether and how the tridimensional digital virtual world (3DDVW) could be used as an environment for development of intercultural competences in the Post Graduate Programs. We used Design Research as a research method to create an artifact, in the format of a method of capacitation for the development of intercultural competences, composed by several activities during one Intercultural Digital Virtual Internship in 3DDVW Second Life, with students from The Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa – ISEG, in Portugal, and the Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos – UNISINOS, in Brazil, who were registered in different master courses. The artifact (method) developed was based on diagnostical instruments, shaped environments in the 3DDVW Second Life, training for the usage of 3DDVW, internship activities (opening meetings, group meetings, lecture and closing meetings) and final evaluation. In order to evaluate the process of development of intercultural competences in the 3DVW, we adopted self assessment instruments (applied before and after the virtual exchange), questionnaires, and also the Critical Incidents Technique to select, based on direct observation (video recording), situations and events where it was possible to identify evidences of intercultural competence development. The main results indicate that the 3DVW can be used as an environment for the development of intercultural competence especially due to the affordances of social interaction, content production and knowledge sharing. The students involved in the virtual exchange inside Second Life had to practice a set of attitudes and skills such as communication skills; culturespecific knowledge; understanding others' worldviews; skills to analyze, evaluate, and relate; skills to listen, observe and interpret; respect; openness; tolerance for ambiguity, among other, that are all attributes of intercultural competence.