| المؤلف | Dr. Hana Mohamed Saeed Alqahtany* |
| محكمة | نعم |
| الدولة | اليمن |
| سنة النشر | 2026 |
| الشهر | September |
| المجلد | 13 |
| العدد | 192 |
| DOI | 10.35781/1637-000-192-007 |
| ISSN | 2410-1818 |
| نوع المحتوى | بحوث ومقالات |
| اللغة | العربية |
| قواعد المعلومات | HumanIndex |
| رابط المحتوى | تحميل PDF |
Abstract: Th study explored how Saudi English language learners’ experiences in Second Life (SL) provided opportunities to practice sociocultural competence. An exploratory qualitative approach was adopted, with data collected through interviews, observations, and analysis of participants’ actual interactions in the virtual environment. The data were analysed inductively to identify emerging dimensions and then interpreted using Celce-Murcia’s (2007) framework of sociocultural competence. Four interrelated dimensions emerged: intercultural interaction, awareness of social and cultural differences, understanding appropriate social norms and behaviours, and relationship building and participation in social communities. The findings showed that participants adapted their communication to social contexts and relationships, employed politeness, mitigation, and humour, and engaged with diverse cultural practices and perspectives. Cultural gaps played a dual role: they could stimulate questions, comparisons, explanations, and negotiation of meaning, but could also constrain participation when participants lacked relevant cultural knowledge. Nonverbal communication was less evident, although digital resources such as emoticons performed some nonverbal functions. Overall, the findings suggest that multicultural virtual environments can provide meaningful contexts for practicing sociocultural competence and negotiating both linguistic and cultural meanings. Keywords: sociocultural competence; Second Life; virtual worlds; English language learning.
