Impact of Virtual Exchange on teachers’ and student teachers’ intercultural competence

This chapter explores participants’ development of intercultural competence (Byram, 1997, 2020) as a result of their participation in the Virtual Exchanges (VEs) implemented as part of the VALIANT project. In recent years, several related models and frameworks that complement each other have emerged, such as the global competence models (UNESCO, 2014; OECD, 2018), the model of competences for democratic culture (Council of Europe, 2016) or frameworks for intercultural citizenship (Deadorff, 2006; Risager, 2007; Byram, 2008). In short, all these models of intercultural or global competence or citizenship, although presenting differentiating nuances, focus on the development of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to communicate and act effectively and appropriately in different cultural contexts. The basic difference between the concepts of competence and citizenship can be found in the element of action taking of social action.