EXPLORING HOW RURAL SCHOOL STUDENTS IN TURKEY STUDY WITH EUROPEAN STUDENTS COLLABORATIVELY TO SUPPORT THEIR LANGUAGE LEARNING AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE: TECHNOLOGY AND GAME-BASED EUROPEAN PROJECT

A language can be best learned by using that language in real communicative situations as one of the features of the communicative approach of language learning (Gulden & Tapan, 2003). Moreover, a game is one of the most appropriate strategies arranged for preschool children to create an interaction among students, to make them convey messages through languages and reflect their culture (Clarke, 2009). This is also valid for older children especially who are in the age of primary or elementary school. The students participated in the present study applied their English knowledge to communicate interculturally while they were playing and introducing their national games through the European project. Furthermore, they integrated technology into their language activities as students have positive attitudes towards technology-enhanced learning systems (Lin & Yang, 2011; Green, Sha, & Liu, 2011). The purpose of the study is to enhance the quality of cultural relations, to develop language skills by increasing collaboration and communication among European students and teachers, and to promote language learning by integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and games into learning environment