Abstract
It has long been established that tandems are an effective tool for enhancing student's metalinguistic reflection and learner autonomy (Appel & Mullen, 2000) as well as intercultural competence (Calvert, 1999). When the principles of reciprocity, responsibility and autonomy are respected, the planned encounters between students to facilitate the learning of their respective languages can have a positive impact not only on students' linguistic capabilities, but also on their motivation and social skills (Webster, 2019).
However, it has been suggested that prior experience (Frances et al., 2018) as well as previous mastering of specific learning strategies (Webster, 2019) can significantly improve the tandem experience. Based on personal interviews with participants in a Czech-Arabic online tandem organised by Charles University in Prague and Ain Shams University in Cairo, and content analysis of the participants' written weekly reports, this paper investigates the differences in language learning strategies and their cultural underpinnings.
It asks how students interpret and evaluate such differences and how they connect them with other explicitly discussed cultural distinctions and their own learning. It argues that intercultural awareness of differences in learning styles needs to be addressed in tandem settings to avoid frustration and enhance both language and culture learning.