- Al-Zahra University, English department, Faculty Memberadd
- S. Susan Marandi is a full professor of TEFL for the English Department at Alzahra University. She is known as “moth... moreS. Susan Marandi is a full professor of TEFL for the English Department at Alzahra University. She is known as “mother of CALL” in Iran and has, among other things, co-authored an award-winning educational software; established the first CALL courses and master’s program in CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) in Iran; and established the first Iranian CALL Research Center at Alzahra University. Prof. Marandi is Associate Editor for The JALT CALL Journal, and has published in journals such as ReCALL, Computer Assisted Language Learning, CALL-EJ, Computers and Education, Interactive Learning Environments, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, JALT CALL, Educational Technology Research & Development, Language Learning and Technology, and Computers in Human Behavior.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9852-1880edit
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ABSTRACTStudent ratings of college teaching effectiveness (SRCTE) have been common in Iranian universities for many years now. However, the perceptions of the stakeholders, in particular students, toward SRCTEs and their uses have not... more
ABSTRACTStudent ratings of college teaching effectiveness (SRCTE) have been common in Iranian universities for many years now. However, the perceptions of the stakeholders, in particular students, toward SRCTEs and their uses have not been comprehensively investigated. The current study explored English language student perspectives on SRCTEs. To this end, two Iranian state universities' English language students were selected based on convenience sampling to respond to a self-developed questionnaire including 26 questions. Descriptive statistics such as frequency were utilized to interpret the data; furthermore, in order to validate the items, the chi-square test was applied to the questionnaire item. The results indicate that students generally believe that they are competent enough to rate their instructors' teaching and that they fill the questionnaires carefully. They assert that SRCTEs can potentially be useful, yet their results do not receive sufficient attention by ...
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Due to the significance of writing for academic improvement and survival, there is an active interest today in new theoretical approaches to the study of written texts as well as approaches to the teaching writing that incorporate current... more
Due to the significance of writing for academic improvement and survival, there is an active interest today in new theoretical approaches to the study of written texts as well as approaches to the teaching writing that incorporate current theory and research findings (Brown, 2001). Erben et al. (2009) emphasize that using contemporary technologies afford us thousands of instructionally rich opportunities which might, otherwise, be missed not using such technologies. Wikis are thought to be useful in improving EFL students' writing ability through the various features they provide for wiki members. Learners can benefit from the shared space to write, discuss, comment, edit, reflect, and evaluate (West and West, 2009) each other's work for the attainment of the shared outcome of better writing ability. The present endeavor attempted to investigate if the use of wikis would have any effect on EFL learners' writing performance. The study included two 16-member groups of EFL ...
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In this auto-ethnography, the author describes her efforts during more than a decade to introduce computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in Iran. She recounts the steps taken, the blunders made and the lessons learned, as well as the... more
In this auto-ethnography, the author describes her efforts during more than a decade to introduce computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in Iran. She recounts the steps taken, the blunders made and the lessons learned, as well as the challenges and opportunities that she faced, and the successes and failures that shaped this venture. It is hoped that sharing this experience will provide encouragement to people in similar circumstances, and assist them in implementing their plans with less effort and higher quality.
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This article proposes a socio-cognitive approach toward the instruction of source-based writing, a common practice students are required to perform in the academic milieu at higher education. Writing from sources entails cognitive... more
This article proposes a socio-cognitive approach toward the instruction of source-based writing, a common practice students are required to perform in the academic milieu at higher education. Writing from sources entails cognitive processes of critically selecting the reliable sources of input, connecting their content to one’s own ideas, and integrating them into one’s written text to construct meaning. It also requires knowledge of socio-contextual dimensions of academic writing literacy, including ethics of acknowledging the authorship of sources and writers’ awareness of their disciplinary genre (Dovey, 2010). The purpose of this interpretive qualitative research, accordingly, is to inquire into the status quo of the approaches implemented in the Iranian academic writing courses of English majors, i.e. English Literature, English Translation, and TEFL, to practice source-based writing. To this end, seven university professors who had the experience of teaching academic writing c...
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On the construct validity of the Iranian Ministry of Health Language Exam (MHLE) Abstract Considering validity as a unitary concept, this study investigated the construct validity of the Iranian Ministry of Health Language Exam (MHLE). To... more
On the construct validity of the Iranian Ministry of Health Language Exam (MHLE) Abstract Considering validity as a unitary concept, this study investigated the construct validity of the Iranian Ministry of Health Language Exam (MHLE). To meet this objective, we, first, conducted Item analysis, reliability analysis, KR20-if-item-deleted indices on the scores of 987 MHLE test takers before running factor analysis. Though the test was found to enjoy a high level of reliability, it suffered from 28 problematic items flagged through item analysis and KR20-if-item-deleted indices. Next, we ran factor analysis on the data, screened through item analysis, by implementing Horn’s parallel analysis and Velicer’s minimum average partial (MAP) tests. Parallel analysis resulted in overfactoring. The MAP test, however, produced results with two to seven factors. Though the 4-factor result of the MAP test seemed to be more logical at first glance, the overall results were rather disappointing. Nin...
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It is usually the case that learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) are exposed to language materials in class only, and of course in such a short space of time, they do not always find enough chance to practice English grammar... more
It is usually the case that learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) are exposed to language materials in class only, and of course in such a short space of time, they do not always find enough chance to practice English grammar features and become aware of their grammar mistakes. As a potential solution to this problem, the current study inspects the impact of using cell phones, specifically text messages (via short message service) as supplementary tools, on Iranian elementary level EFL learners’ grammar learning. In the first phase of the study, 60 students aged 14 were randomly divided into experimental and comparison groups. Throughout the 12 weeks of treatment, the participants in the experimental group received 120 text messages containing grammar exercises, whereas the participants in the comparison group received a similar number of vocabulary messages as a placebo treatment and were otherwise treated exactly the same as the experimental group. A researcher-made gram...
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Sadly, I have recently noticed that some typing mistakes have actually been carelessly added to the article by the publisher! :(
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Despite the spread of reliable technological tools and the availability of computers in Iranian universities, as well as the mounting evidence of the effectiveness of blended learning, many Iranian language teachers are still reluctant to... more
Despite the spread of reliable technological tools and the availability of computers in Iranian universities, as well as the mounting evidence of the effectiveness of blended learning, many Iranian language teachers are still reluctant to incorporate such tools in their English as a foreign language (EFL) classes. This study inspected the status quo of technology integration in Iranian EFL classes and investigated the obstacles, as perceived by the Iranian EFL teachers, toward implementing CALL in Iran. First, 100 EFL teachers completed the Teacher Technology Integration Survey developed by Vannatta and Banister (2009), to help estimate technology use in EFL classes. Then the researchers interviewed twelve teachers, comprising two EFL teacher educators with no CALL experience, four teachers with the experience of integrating technology in their EFL classes, four EFL teachers who had recently finished an online CALL teacher education program, and two EFL teachers with no CALL experie...
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... In 2004, Seyyed Ahmad Motamedi, then Minister of Information and Commu-nication Technology, announced that 1,200 Iranian schools were connected to ... Nevertheless, she persevered and her MA thesis (Hamidi, 2004), though small in... more
... In 2004, Seyyed Ahmad Motamedi, then Minister of Information and Commu-nication Technology, announced that 1,200 Iranian schools were connected to ... Nevertheless, she persevered and her MA thesis (Hamidi, 2004), though small in scope, became one of the pioneering ...
The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which teacher education institutions (TEI) prepare pre-service teachers for integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in their classroom practise. Specifically, a multiple... more
The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which teacher education institutions (TEI) prepare pre-service teachers for integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in their classroom practise. Specifically, a multiple case study was conducted to examine the ways in which the development of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) was promoted in the existing curriculum of three TEI in Flanders. In the three cases, data were drawn from semi-structured interviews with the heads of the department and the ICT coordinators. Focus group discussions collected the perspectives of pre-service teachers and teacher educators. The results indicate that (1) the three institutions are moving from ICT as a ‘stand-alone’ course towards embedding ICT across the curriculum and (2) three approaches were adopted for developing pre-service teachers’ TPACK, each representing different ways of understanding the place of ICT in the curriculum. The discussion will focus on the challenges and opportunities inherent in understanding how to develop pre-service teachers’ TPACK in the curriculum of TEI.
Research Interests: Communication, Education, Educational Leadership, Assessment, Curriculum Design, and 15 moreCurriculum Studies, Case Study Research, Case Studies, Curriculum Theory, Assessment in Higher Education, Curriculum Development, Curriculum and Instruction, Curriculum, Change agents, Case Study, Curriculum Theory and Development, Change Implementation, Change Resistance, Coping With Change, and Change Factors
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The investigation of test-taking strategies is a crucial aspect of test validation studies especially if the test is a high-stakes one. The purpose of this study was to uncover if gender, academic discipline and the total exam score... more
The investigation of test-taking strategies is a crucial aspect of test validation studies especially if the test is a high-stakes one. The purpose of this study was to uncover if gender, academic discipline and the total exam score influence on the test-taking strategies employed by the candidates of the General English Section of the National Iranian PhD Entrance Exam which is a high-stakes test in Iran. Four sub-components of the strategies, namely, cognitive/metacognitive, test wiseness, time management and emotional strategies were investigated. The MANOVA results indicated no statistically significant difference between male and female exam candidates in the employment of strategies. However, Engineering and Basic Sciences academic discipline candidates outperformed the Humanities in the application of cognitive/metacognitive and test wiseness strategies. Moreover, the total exam score was influenced by the emotional strategies. The findings of this pioneering study also have ...
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Test administration conditions, namely, the timing of the test, the testing venues and the exam proctors/inspectors are influential factors that may introduce construct-irrelevant variance to a test, if ignored, and therefore render a... more
Test administration conditions, namely, the timing of the test, the testing venues and the exam proctors/inspectors are influential factors that may introduce construct-irrelevant variance to a test, if ignored, and therefore render a test invalid, especially in the case of high-stakes tests. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the satisfaction of the PhD exam candidates with the administration conditions of the General English section of the National Iranian PhD Entrance exam, focusing on the three above mentioned factors. The timing factor was investigated from the perspectives of suitability of the time, that is, morning administration, evening administration and time delay in administration. The testing venue included the location of testing venues, commuting, finding seats, ventilation and lighting of the venues and finally, the proctor/inspector factor looked into the presence of the inspectors, satisfaction with the behavior of the proctors, peacefulness of th...
As a learner and teacher of language, I remember hearing that "How do you do?" is merely<br> a polite form of communication, a common courtesy, and as such, only a rhetorical<br> question, to be answered in kind. The... more
As a learner and teacher of language, I remember hearing that "How do you do?" is merely<br> a polite form of communication, a common courtesy, and as such, only a rhetorical<br> question, to be answered in kind. The implication was that people weren't necessarily<br> genuinely concerned about your well-being, and that if you were not in fact well, you should<br> not force this fact upon other people's notice in response. Similarly, as a Muslim travelling<br> from Iran to various countries over the years, I have sometimes felt that the terms<br> "diversity" and "inclusivity" can also be somewhat rhetorical—a requirement of polite<br> society, to be sure, but not always to be taken too seriously. Accordingly, I would often<br> make an effort to be as unobtrusive as possible, and not force what I often perceived to<br> be a distasteful presence on the notice of others. Thankfully, this feeling ...
Recently, educating teachers in computer- assisted language learning (CALL) has gained much popularity. In this regard, corpus linguistics (CL), as an area related to CALL, has received great attention. Researchers, now argue strongly for... more
Recently, educating teachers in computer- assisted language learning (CALL) has gained much popularity. In this regard, corpus linguistics (CL), as an area related to CALL, has received great attention. Researchers, now argue strongly for the inclusion of CL in language teacher education (LTE) programs. However, there is no research on how individual and contextual differences may affect student teachers' (STs) reactions to such training. This chapter reports on a qualitative study which explored a range of variables related to STs' personal and professional backgrounds as well as group dynamics influential in the adoption and application of CL training by STs. Through analyzing the data collected using surveys, interviews, and students' written evaluations of the course, it was found that STs' years of teaching experience, characteristics and beliefs, prior experience of online communication, access to technology, and familiarity with and attitudes toward CALL play ...
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Recent years have witnessed drastic enhancements in English language teaching (ELT) especially due to the Internet. Although the literature is well-documented with regard to the positive effects of Internet application in English... more
Recent years have witnessed drastic enhancements in English language teaching (ELT) especially due to the Internet. Although the literature is well-documented with regard to the positive effects of Internet application in English education, the critical investigation of Internet-mediated ELT sources has rarely been dealt with. In this study, one of the four most favorite Internet-based English programs in Iran and throughout the world (Karimi Alavijeh, 2014), namely, the BBC Leaning English, was investigated in terms of the way it represented Iran. For this purpose, qualitative content analysis was used to extract the main themes of this program and an adapted version of Van Leeuwen’s (2008) Social Actor Network was utilized for the critical discourse analysis of the resulted corpus. The extracted themes, the recognized social actors, and the way different discursive mechanisms and hypertextual techniques had been used to represent them in unfavorable manners unfolded the presence o...
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The concept of language learner autonomy has influenced ComputerAssisted Language Learning (CALL) to the extent that Schwienhorst (2012) informs us of a paradigm change in CALL design in the light of learner autonomy. CALL is not... more
The concept of language learner autonomy has influenced ComputerAssisted Language Learning (CALL) to the extent that Schwienhorst (2012) informs us of a paradigm change in CALL design in the light of learner autonomy. CALL is not considered a tool anymore, but a learner environment available to language learners anywhere in the world. Based on a work-cycle as a practical framework for implementing autonomy in online courses (Legenhausen, 2003), the current study introduces WebQuest to be used as ideas and an activity bank. Work cycle design takes several principles of learner autonomy such as goal setting, content and format choice, self-evaluation and reflection in action and is defined as a learner-based approach that emphasises metacognitive knowledge that raises students’ awareness to become more conscious of their own language learning process, strengths and weaknesses (Ter Haseborg, 2012). The idea and activity bank at the top of a work cycle provides learners with the opportu...
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Fostering autonomous learning has become one of the key concerns of course designers and curriculum planners in the last 20 years which has been validated on both ideological and psychological grounds. However, estimating learners’... more
Fostering autonomous learning has become one of the key concerns of course designers and curriculum planners in the last 20 years which has been validated on both ideological and psychological grounds. However, estimating learners’ readiness to accept autonomous education is an important step prior to moving toward autonomous education. Thus, the current research investigated the patterns of autonomous behavior among Iranian EFL learners before the implementation of principles of autonomous education in language classroom. Students' responses to autonomy questionnaire went through a factor analysis process which revealed the existence of three factors underlying participants' autonomous learning behaviors. The paper discusses each factor in turn and concludes by reiterating the importance of implementing the underlying factors in designing courses that aim at fostering learner autonomy.
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Using modern, electronic technology to promote the culture and worldview of technology producers and to subjugate its consumers is the gist of what McPhail (2006) calls electronic colonialism theory (ECT). As an example of electronic... more
Using modern, electronic technology to promote the culture and worldview of technology producers and to subjugate its consumers is the gist of what McPhail (2006) calls electronic colonialism theory (ECT). As an example of electronic technology, Internet-mediated English educational materials are rapidly growingbut they do not appear to have been critically analyzed in terms of their potential hidden agenda. With this concern, the researchers conducted a survey study on “VOA Special English for Persian Learners” which is one of the most popular websites among Iranian English learners (Karimi Alavijeh, 2014). For this purpose, all VoA lessons were closely investigated in a process of qualitative content analysis through which the main themes of this program were extracted. Real samples of the content were included in a 5-point, likert-type IndigenousIranian Culture Opinionnaire developed by the researchers. After making sure of the reliability and validity of this opinionnaire, it wa...
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With the current availability of state-of-the-art technology, particularly the Internet, people have expanded their channels of communication. This has similarly led to many people utilizing technology to learn second/foreign languages.... more
With the current availability of state-of-the-art technology, particularly the Internet, people have expanded their channels of communication. This has similarly led to many people utilizing technology to learn second/foreign languages. Nevertheless, many current computer-assisted language learning (CALL) programs still appear to be lacking in interactivity and what is termed social presence, which is in turn an obstacle to the learners assuming active roles in their online experience of L2 learning. Consequently, the existing CALL programs do not seem to have updated themselves from the obsolete behavioristic and communicative genres to reach for the integrative one to yield optimum interactivity. The present study has attempted to cast light on the prospect of creating an online learning community that could optimize the patterns of interaction among the students and the teacher with the intention of creating online social presence. Using a qualitative research based on grounded t...
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Despite being trained in pre-service teacher education programs, most EFL teachers are underprepared when faced with language assessment-related activities. Part of the problem emanates from the fact that Language Assessment Literacy... more
Despite being trained in pre-service teacher education programs, most EFL teachers are underprepared when faced with language assessment-related activities. Part of the problem emanates from the fact that Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) as a construct has not been well defined by experts. The purpose of this study was to pinpoint the components of LAL in the Iranian EFL context using an adapted version of Fulchers' (2012) LAL survey with two types of constructed and closed response items. The participants were 280 English language teachers from seventeen different provinces in Iran. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and cross validation were used to define LAL as a construct. Furthermore, qualitative data analysis procedures were employed to analyze the data obtained from constructed response items. The results indicate that LAL in the Iranian context is comprised of four factors, namely: test design and development, large-scale standardized testing and classroom a...
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The present study compares the performance of two TEFL reading classes: one taking place in a regular classroom and the other held in a computer lab, with the learners practicing reading online. The results of an independent samples... more
The present study compares the performance of two TEFL reading classes: one taking place in a regular classroom and the other held in a computer lab, with the learners practicing reading online. The results of an independent samples t-test showed that the difference between the learners’ scores on their reading comprehension post-tests and pretests did not differ statistically significantly from one group to the other, indicating that the two groups’ progress was similar during the one-term period of instruction. In addition to this, learner interviews and teacher observations showed that some of the challenges of practicing reading in a computer lab included an over-reliance on copy/pasting; time wasted and stress induced due to Internet/technology problems, phobia, or lack of expertise; distractions created through working with technology; and occasional lack of learners’ awareness of the benefits of online reading. Yet, despite all this, reading online seems to have benefits whic...
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In the field of second/foreign language learning, Journal Writing (JW) has been used as a tool for self-expression, acknowledged for its multiple benefits with regard to various aspects of language learning. With the advancements of... more
In the field of second/foreign language learning, Journal Writing (JW) has been used as a tool for self-expression, acknowledged for its multiple benefits with regard to various aspects of language learning. With the advancements of technology, however, few studies have addressed the potentials of internet-based platforms such as blogs in the practice of JW. The present study, therefore, has attempted to juxtapose the traditional paper-and-pencil mode of JW with Blog JW to explore the potential impacts on L2 learners’ writing skill. To this end, four elements of accuracy, fluency, lexical, as well as syntactic complexity were examined in the participants’ writing samples through relevant measures. To analyze the data, (M)ANCOVAs and (M)ANOVAs were conducted, the results of which are summarized and presented. The general conclusion of the study was that, JW, in particular, in the form of blogging has the potential of enhancing the quality of language learners’ writing.
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The present study reports on an attempt to apply the principles of autonomous learning within the curriculum of an online course for teaching English to Iranian adult language learners. The contents of the course (i.e. general English)... more
The present study reports on an attempt to apply the principles of autonomous learning within the curriculum of an online course for teaching English to Iranian adult language learners. The contents of the course (i.e. general English) were delivered using work-cycles (Legenhausen, 2003) and were completed in the form of students’ projects. Each work-cycle started by setting personal learning goals in the planning and negotiation phase, deciding on the project in the decision-making phase, completing the actual project in the project phase, followed by an evaluation of the outcomes in the evaluation phase. Different phases of the cycle fitted autonomous learning framework, enabling the implementation of the principles of learner autonomy. Finally, after the actual implementation of the principles of learner autonomy through work-cycles, learners’ perceptions were assessed to estimate the efficiency of autonomous learning using work-cycles which revealed an overall positive pattern o...
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Discussion lists have gained a significant popularity in professional development research over the past few decades for the opportunity they provide for asynchronous interaction. This article presents findings from a small-scale case... more
Discussion lists have gained a significant popularity in professional development research over the past few decades for the opportunity they provide for asynchronous interaction. This article presents findings from a small-scale case study that aimed at exploring the nature of teachers’ asynchronous exchanges in a discussion list. The data comprised the archived log of the messages in a Yahoo Group discussion list by five in-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers who volunteered to take part in a hybrid computer-assisted language learning (CALL) teacher education course in a state university in Iran. The discussion list was incorporated into the course to engage participants in professional dialogue on topics related to technology/CALL. During the initial data analysis, participants’ asynchronous exchanges were grouped as suggestions, questions, unclassified, answers, and delivery, drawing upon Oriogun and Cave’s (2008) SQUAD categorization, following the constant com...
Research Interests: Psychology, Computer Science, Computer Assisted Language Learning, Teacher Education, Linguistics, and 10 moreSocial Presence, Community of Inquiry, Popularity, Asynchronous Communication, Cognitive Presence, Affordance, Asynchronous E-Learning, Online Interaction, Recall, and Online Collaborative Learning
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Despite their widespread popularity and rapid growth, the Internet-mediated English educational materials for learners of English as a foreign/second language (FL/SL) have rarely been analyzed in terms of their potential hidden... more
Despite their widespread popularity and rapid growth, the Internet-mediated English educational materials for learners of English as a foreign/second language (FL/SL) have rarely been analyzed in terms of their potential hidden curriculum. Accordingly, the present study aims to address this need through conducting a CDA investigation into some lessons which are randomly selected from an English educational website called “Englishcentral.” Adapting, expanding, and adopting some elements of Van Leeuwen’s (2008) Social Actor Network, the researchers attempt to describe and explain the representation of “Iran” in Englishcentral. Investigating and thematizing the research data revealed that the keyword “Iran” was used in this website to refer to three groups of social actors, namely the Iranian government and officials, Iranian people, and Iranian people and/or government/officials. The way these social actors are associated and dissociated, activated and passivated, personalized and imp...
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In this auto-ethnography, the author describes her efforts during more than a decade to introduce computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in Iran. She recounts the steps taken, the blunders made and the lessons learned, as well as the... more
In this auto-ethnography, the author describes her efforts during more than a decade to introduce computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in Iran. She recounts the steps taken, the blunders made and the lessons learned, as well as the challenges and opportunities that she faced, and the successes and failures that shaped this venture. It is hoped that sharing this experience will provide encouragement to people in similar circumstances, and assist them in implementing their plans with less effort and higher quality.
Research Interests: Computer Assisted Language Learning, Teacher Education, TESOL, Computer Assisted Language Learning/Teaching, Second Language Teacher Education, and 4 moreComputer-Assisted Language Learning, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), and TESL/TEFL
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In a world where new walls are being built and fortified among peoples and countries, and sweeping visa bans are approved against the backdrop of worldwide demonstrations, the importance of online communications becomes increasingly... more
In a world where new walls are being built and fortified among peoples and countries, and sweeping visa bans are approved against the backdrop of worldwide demonstrations, the importance of online communications becomes increasingly important. Accordingly, the potential of e-learning and CALL transcends that of mere knowledge construction and takes on new dimensions when employed to increase equality of educational opportunities, intercultural understanding and mutual respect. Nonetheless, this vision, however beautiful, will remain one unless we can tear down the virtual walls and bans and establish an online community which embraces equality and solidarity. This entails recognizing the existence of and thereafter eradicating hitherto largely unacknowledged e-learning/CALL hegemonies; namely, linguistic, technological, economic, educational, cultural, and sociopolitical (Marandi, Karimi, & Nami, 2015; see also Lamy & Pegrum, 2012). To further this end and as part of a larger study, the present study attempts to identify e-learning/CALL hegemonies operating in the Iranian ELT community, through interviewing various ELT stakeholders, including TEFL students, teachers, and administrators, and identifying the common themes which emerge. It is believed that the Iranian context is fairly unique with regard to certain aspects of these hegemonies, and that part of the solution lies in disseminating awareness of the hegemonies and discriminations Iranians often face online, at both national and international levels. Finally, an effort will be made to differentiate between context-dependent and more generalizable instances of e-learning/CALL hegemonies, as identified in the study. It is believed that this and similar studies are required to bring about a more critical stance toward CALL; and that, more importantly, they can help pave the way toward ensuring that equality of educational opportunities, intercultural understanding and mutual respect will ultimately become a reality, and not a mere virtual reality.