Developing Digital Citizenship in the Foreign Language Classroom with an Emphasis on the Intercultural Dimension

Abstract

There has been an increase in the number of users on digital platforms. Similarly, technology is prevalent in the daily lives of young people, therefore, it is crucial to address the topic of digital citizenship with them, ensuring they use technology in a responsible and healthy manner. The present study argues that the foreign language classroom constitutes a privileged space for the promotion of digital citizenship. To address this research gap, the present study examines digital citizenship within the context of foreign language education, with a particular focus on its articulation with the intercultural dimension, and explores its impact on participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and opinions. More specifically, this study aims to determine the effectiveness of a five-session didactic intervention in developing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and opinions regarding digital citizenship within an intercultural dimension in an EFL secondary classroom. The research question formulated is: how can digital citizenship be developed in conjunction with the intercultural dimension in the English language classroom in secondary education, namely concerning students’ knowledge, attitudes, and opinions? With the intention of addressing this question, an intervention project was implemented with a class of 11th-grade students at a school in the Aveiro district, Portugal. The didactic project consisted of five sessions conducted in the English classroom, in a total of 450 min. Through the content analysis conducted on the collected data, it revealed significant improvements in students’ understanding of online rights and responsibilities, and a positive shift in attitudes toward intercultural interaction. While some initial prejudices persisted, the project fostered increased awareness of diverse cultural perspectives in the digital world. These findings suggest that targeted interventions integrating intercultural awareness within digital citizenship education can be effective in promoting responsible digital engagement and intercultural sensitivity in EFL secondary education.

1. Introduction

In the FL classroom, more specifically in the teaching of English, students are provided with an ideal environment to address topics such as global citizenship (Lourenço & Simões, 2021) and, consequently, digital citizenship. A high number of educators, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, felt the need to attend training that promotes their professional development, namely in the area of digital skills (Mazzardo et al., 2019), defined as “the confident, critical and creative use of Information and Communication Technologies to achieve goals related to work, employability, learning, leisure, participation in society and the ability to learn throughout life” (Ferrari, 2013, p. 12). Therefore, these skills allow individuals to better understand the digital world and then guide their learners, making use of the domains of digital citizenship, such as human rights and interculturality (Directorate-General for Education) in order to enable students to exercise critical thinking skills in the face of information provided and to reflect on its veracity.

The present study argues that one of the privileged spaces to work on digital citizenship is in foreign language (FL) classes, for several reasons. The communicative environment inherent in FL classes provides appropriate opportunities to develop critical skills crucial for learners to consciously and ethically explore the digital world. It is no coincidence that digital citizenship education (DGE) practices have been shown to develop several competencies such as “Solidarity in terms of developing a society where people care about each other”, “Taking part in disputes without harming others”, “Cyberbullying resolution skills”, and “Build and develop a healthy identity” (Frau-Meigs et al., 2017), among others. Given that the exploration of diverse cultures is a common feature in foreign language classes, it is feasible to develop the skills mentioned above.

In developing digital citizenship, cultivating intercultural competence is essential. Byram’s model (Porto et al., 2018) presents this as a multidimensional construct comprising knowledge (savoirs) of social groups’ complex identities, attitudes (savoir être) of curiosity and openness that enable social interpretation, and skills (savoir comprendre) for comparing, interpreting, and resolving intercultural misunderstandings. Together, these dimensions allow individuals to engage in respectful intercultural interactions while navigating social differences effectively.

According to the concepts and skills mentioned above related to the theme of this study, the following research question was formulated: How can digital citizenship be developed in conjunction with the intercultural dimension in the English language class in secondary education, at the level of students’ knowledge, attitudes, and opinions? To explore how digital citizenship can be developed in conjunction with the intercultural dimension in English language classes, an intervention project was implemented as a methodological tool. This project served to investigate students’ knowledge of digital citizenship, their representations of the Other in virtual contexts, and their reflections on the impact of the experience on their understanding of these concepts.

2. Digital Citizenship in Education

The concept of digital citizenship education (DCE) has gained significant traction at the international level (Council of Europe, 2018a, 2018b, 2019, 2022) with the objective of equipping younger citizens with the tools to engage actively and responsibly in a digital society, while fostering their capacity to utilize digital technologies in a critical and effective manner. In order to facilitate the implementation of DCE in schools and in curricula across Europe, it is necessary to make subject-specific adaptations or to develop projects in different areas, also including teacher education (Giralt et al., 2023).

In recent years, European institutions have produced three principal frameworks pertaining to digital competences, digital citizenship, and democratic competences.

The first framework, released in 2013, is the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp) (Ferrari, 2013, edited by Punie and Brecko). This framework, created by the European Commission, serves as a reference framework aimed at providing a common and comprehensive understanding of digital competences. Updated in March 2022 (Council of Europe, 2022), it offers a concise overview of the digital knowledge, skills, and domains that should be addressed with students, and it is regarded as an invaluable resource for educators. Additionally, it encompasses information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, media literacy, digital content creation (including programming), safety (including digital well-being and competences related to cybersecurity), intellectual property-related questions, problem solving, and critical thinking (Vourikari et al., 2022).

Another significant framework that informs the development of the DCE is the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC), which was initially established in 2015 and subsequently augmented with the incorporation of additional publications over the subsequent years. The document outlines 20 key competences that students are expected to develop in order to participate effectively in a democratic and culturally diverse society, where individuals can coexist peacefully. The aforementioned framework is structured into four main sections: values, attitudes, skills, and knowledge and critical understanding (Council of Europe, 2018b), and is visually represented by either a butterfly or a flower.

The third framework is the DCE conceptual framework, visually represented as a “temple”, whose foundations lay on the democratic competences of the RFCDC. The development of effective digital citizenship practices is contingent upon the establishment of five essential constructs. These are represented as pillars within this structure. The competences for democratic culture provide the foundation for digital citizenship. The five pillars serve to uphold the entire structure of digital citizenship development. They consist of the following elements: policies, stakeholders, strategies, infrastructures, resources, and evaluation. Consequently, a competence framework was devised, comprising 10 domains, organized into three principal categories. The three main areas include: being online, wellbeing online, and rights online.

These three frameworks offer a baseline of work for educators in general in the area of digital competences, digital citizenship, and democratic competences, which are the core of DCE. In this paper it is highlighted how DCE can be worked-in within language education.

The foreign language classroom provides an ideal setting for initiating discourse on digital citizenship, since it is a remarkable environment to work on issues like respect for others, appreciation of cultural and linguistic diversity, combating racism, xenophobia, and other forms of exclusionary ideologies, as well as exploring these themes in conjunction with other subject areas and learning objectives (Lourenço & Simões, 2021).

In this context, it is essential that digital citizens cultivate intercultural competence, which is composed of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values, which integrate the social identity of each individual, as presented in Byram’s multidimensional model of intercultural competence (Porto et al., 2018). The intercultural attitudes, savoir être, of an intercultural interlocutor focus on curiosity and openness. Therefore, curiosity fosters the ability to interpret the social environment and the society around them. An intercultural interlocutor is expected to have knowledge, savoirs, about the inherent complexity of the identities of a social group. However, they must also be aware of the way in which respectful intercultural interaction takes place. In turn, it is equally important that the intercultural communicator, according to the authors previously referred, has skills such as comparison and interpretation, savoir comprendre, so that in the face of a misunderstanding they are able to understand and resolve it.

Within DCE, the intercultural dimension aims to “[…] raising students’ awareness on the importance of cultural encounters in the digital world” (Lütge et al., 2023, p. 17). The intercultural communicator, through the competence of discovery and interaction, savoir apprendre/faire, must acquire new knowledge to complement the learning already acquired, so that during a real-time interaction, they can express attitudes, knowledge, and skills effectively. Consequently, the intercultural communicator needs to savoir s’engager, that is, to develop critical cultural awareness, which will allow them to understand themselves, including his values, but also the values of the Other.

When conducting a review of empirical research on digital citizenship, Richardson et al. (2021) discovered that the majority of studies concentrated on media and information literacy, with an emphasis on technical skills, as well as participation and engagement, and critical resistance. Empirical studies, such as those by Hollands (2018), support the framework set by Ribble and Bailey (2007), show that effective digital citizenship education integrates these elements to foster responsible online behavior among students. Additionally, numerous experimental studies have been carried out to examine the impact of digital citizenship education on students’ learning and online behavior, including the reduction of negative online actions (e.g., Bickham et al., 2021; Brandau et al., 2022) and the enhancement of student performance (e.g., Alazemi et al., 2019; Kevser & Gelibolu, 2018). There is, however, the important role of schools in promoting digital citizenship among students stated, emphasizing the importance of integrating digital citizenship education into the curriculum (Janssen et al., 2018).

The interplay between digital citizenship and intercultural competence is increasingly recognized in educational research, namely in higher education (Mawangi & Clark, 2020), being asserted that digital citizenship extends beyond online behavior to include the ability to appreciate and engage with diverse cultural perspectives. Even at a different educational level, it is found that nurturing digital citizenship among students not only improves their online conduct but also enhances their intercultural awareness. This perspective aligns with the findings of Ribble et al. (2004), who emphasize the importance of digital etiquette and responsibility in fostering effective interactions across cultures. By understanding the cultural nuances intrinsic to digital communication, students are better positioned to engage respectfully and meaningfully with individuals from varied backgrounds.

Further studies have underscored the need for integrating digital citizenship with intercultural education to cultivate global citizens. Peters and Kearney (2019) argue that equipping students with digital citizenship skills enable them to collaboratively address global challenges, thus promoting intercultural dialogue and comprehension. Similarly, Galvis and Noguerol (2021) highlight that students must have intercultural awareness as a crucial component of their digital literacy to navigate online platforms responsibly. Their findings indicate that incorporating intercultural education into digital citizenship curricula fosters effective communication in diverse digital settings. Additionally, Greenhow and Lewin (2016) point out that social media platforms offer rich environments for investigating both concepts, serving as venues where students can connect with peers from different cultures while simultaneously developing their digital citizenship abilities. Collectively, these studies suggest that fostering digital citizenship can enhance students’ ability to engage respectfully and effectively across cultures, thereby preparing them for a globalized world. This interconnection underlines the importance of integrating both digital and intercultural competencies into educational curricula.

Therefore, it is the educator’s responsibility to develop skills, attitudes, and knowledge of a particular culture or country, as well as to foster awareness of values, which is ideal within language learning, acknowledging respect for human dignity, and equality of human rights within a democratic basis for social interaction (Byram et al., 2002). Intercultural education allows learners to react in a thoughtful way to any type of contact with the Other and helps to develop attitudes of proactive and critical development. It also develops curiosity for personal and benevolent discovery and management, since it contributes to mitigating egocentric and ethnocentric attitudes, developing “curiosity for discovery and personal, attentive, and benevolent management of cultural diversity, because it strives to mitigate ego-and ethnocentric attitudes” (Beacco, 2013). In the present study, the project was implemented to develop students’ intercultural awareness while also fostering their digital citizenship competence.

3. Methodology and Project Implementation

Based on the concepts and skills mentioned above related to the theme of this study, this study evaluates a five-session program’s impact on students’ digital citizenship awareness in an intercultural EFL classroom.

A didactic intervention project was created and implemented with a 11th grade class, studying English as their first foreign language since the 3rd grade. The project consisted of five sessions conducted during English lessons, over a total of 450 min.

3.1. Description of the Context of Implementation

The didactic project was implemented in a public school located in the Aveiro region, Portugal. This institution offers regular scientific-humanistic education, as well as Adult Education and Training and professional courses. To highlight the significance of the intercultural dimension, it is important to emphasize that both the school and the educational cluster as a whole strive to foster an awareness of the Other, promoting the concept of multiculturalism through “the development of a healthy coexistence, a climate that rejects discrimination and social exclusion”, as well as through “cultural dynamization via interaction with local, regional, national, and international partners, fostering a connection with the surrounding environment and the world” (Brás, 2024, p. 87). These principles align with the objectives outlined in the Educational Project.

The 11th-grade class in which the project was implemented comprised 28 students enrolled in the Science and Technology track, aged between 16 and 17 years. According to the characterization form completed by the students at the beginning of the academic year and provided by the class director, Portuguese was identified as the subject in which students encounter the greatest academic difficulties. A smaller proportion of students also reported experiencing challenges in Physics and Chemistry. Notwithstanding at least one failing grade in the previous academic year, Mathematics was identified by students as one of their preferred subjects, followed by Physical Education and English. With regard to the 11th-grade English lessons, each session has a duration of two hours and is conducted twice a week, specifically on Wednesdays and Fridays.

3.2. Description of the Project

In the course of this research, which undertook the emancipatory paradigm in Action Research, it was meant to promote change in a specific educational environment (Coutinho et al., 2009). In line with this approach, Traqueia et al. (2019) stated that the emancipatory paradigm “[…] is related to a strategy of data collection and analysis, with the aim of promoting change in relation to a real issue concerning a specific social context. It therefore has an emancipatory character” (p. 40). Thus, the nature of this paradigm derives both from its transformative intent and from the type of knowledge it seeks to generate. In this sense, the Action-Research method was considered the most appropriate for the purposes of this study, as it emphasizes the participation and collaboration of all participants involved, with a transformative purpose of improving the context in general, but more specifically the class with whom the intervention project was developed.

The primary research objectives of the didactic project were to examine students’ understanding of the concept of digital citizenship, their representations of the Other in virtual environments, and their perceptions and reflections on the impact of the project on their conceptions of digital citizenship, focusing on the intercultural dimension. Accordingly, the didactic project had specific intervention aims: aimed to raise students’ awareness of the world’s linguistic and cultural diversity, encourage critical reflection on diversity, promote the deconstruction of prejudices, and foster respect for diverse behaviors and gastronomic cultures.

The project was structured into five thematically interconnected sessions. The first session, focused on The Future Ahead and The Digital Era, began with students creating a linguistic and intercultural biography, followed by an oral reflection on the activity’s significance. This led to the reading and analysis of Welcome to the Future, sparking a discussion on the concept of the “Digital Citizen” and a digital questionnaire to foster debate based on the results. The session concluded with a self-reflection activity.

The second session centered on Digital Citizenship, starting with a discussion on “How can we be good digital citizens?” linked to the video Being a Good Citizen. This was followed by a written reflection on digital behavior and a reading comprehension activity on online rights. As in the previous session, the session concluded with self-reflection.

In the third session, the relationship between Digital Citizenship and Intercultural Awareness was explored. Students differentiated between digital citizenship and digital competence, then critically reflected on the responsibilities of digital citizens when encountering content that incites hatred or discrimination through short online videos. The session continued with the identification of intercultural competences in a video and discussions on global dining practices, such as chopstick use across cultures. It ended with paired research and writing on dining customs in various countries, followed by a self-reflection activity.

The fourth session linked Intercultural Awareness and Artificial Intelligence. Students explored breakfast habits across cultures through videos and authentic online comments, reflecting on both cultural and digital contexts. They then engaged with the text Artificial Intelligence and the Intercultural Dimension, reinforcing the connection between the two themes. The session concluded with a self-reflection activity.

Finally, in the fifth session, students participated in a roleplay simulating a dining interaction, incorporating intercultural elements discussed earlier. The activity included group research and scriptwriting, followed by roleplay presentations. As in prior sessions, the session ended with self-reflection.

In this context, the activities implemented throughout this research were organized into five sessions, all closely aligned with the contents of the 11th-grade English syllabus, specifically within the subtopic “The Future Ahead” under the unit “My Job, My Choices”.

3.3. Data Collection Tools

During the five sessions of the didactic project, three data collection techniques were mostly used: the techniques based on conversation, focused on the perspectives of the participants (Coutinho et al., 2009; Hsieh & Shannon, 2005), using for instance questionnaires or transcriptions of the lessons; the analysis of documents, such as the student’s diary, a worksheet, and digital questionnaires; field notes of the observed lessons. In

Table 1. Table of data collection techniques, instruments, and activities per session.

Context	Data Collection Technique/Instruments	Activities
Session I	- Padlet; - Digital questionnaire (Mentimeter); - Digital self-reflection tool, Teams.	- Comprehension activity—linguistic and intercultural biography and activity of reflection and oral expression. Quiz: What do you believe is the purpose of this activity? Why do you consider it important for us to be acquainted with our own linguistic biography as well as of others? - Reading and comprehension of the text Welcome to the Future from the handbook - Oral interaction activity about the digital citizen concept and digital questionnaire What words do you associate with a Digital Citizen? What do you think a Digital Citizen is? and oral interaction activity about the results of the questionnaire - Self-reflection activity about the session
Session II	- Written questionnaire, writing activity; - Digital questionnaire, Council of Europe quiz; - Digital questionnaire, Kahoot; - Digital self-reflection tool, Teams.	- Oral interaction activity, articulation with the previous session, discussion about How can we be good digital citizens? - Visualization activity Being a good citizen - Written reflection activity Are you a good digital citizen? Why? - Digital writing activity Do you know your rights online? - Activity to consolidate the contents covered - Digital self-reflection activity
Session III	- Field notes about the discussion with students about the Council of Europe quiz; - Digital questionnaire, Padlet; - Padlet; - Digital self-reflection tool, Teams.	- Activity to understand the difference between the concepts Digital Citizenship and Digital Competence - Activity of oral interaction about the responsibilities of the digital citizen when faced with comments that incite hatred, discrimination, or violence - Visualization of short videos about the theme and digital questionnaire: (1) Do you consider these types of videos to be disrespectful? If so why or why not? (2) In your opinion, is this Youtuber aware of his rights and responsibilities as a digital citizen? Why? (3) What did you feel watching him eat Portuguese food? - Oral interaction activity: What is the competence you believe is crucial for communicating and interacting with individuals from other countries? - Visualization activity: The importance of intercultural awareness and Listening comprehension and oral interaction activity Identify the 10 bullet points referred in the video - Oral interaction activity about dining habits- Does everyone eat with a fork and a knife? - Visualization activity Korean, Chinese, Japanese Chopsticks Differences!! (Who’s better?) and oral interaction activity—Do Asian people eat noodles like you do? How do you eat pasta/noodles? How often do they eat noodles? What about you? - Research and writing activity in pairs- Dining habits around the world - Digital self-reflection activity
Session IV	- Digital questionnaire, Google Forms; - Written questionnaire, Worksheet; - Digital self-reflection tool, Teams.	- Oral interaction activity, articulation with the previous session, What do you eat for breakfast? and Unusual Foods You’d Have for Breakfast Around the World - Viewing activity and listening and oral interaction activity about the video - Comment analysis activity and digital writing activity- Would you eat this breakfast? Justify your answer. - Reading and comprehension activity of a text- Artificial Intelligence and Intercultural Dimension - Digital self-reflection activity
Session V	- Writing tool, Teams; - Digital ultimate self-reflection tool, Teams.	- Creation of a roleplay, articulation with the previous session, instructions - Group research and script writing activity, roleplay, recreate a situation at a dinner table - Oral presentation activity - Final self-reflection activity

there is a list of all those instruments per session.

A content analysis was carried out, in order to provide understanding of the phenomenon under study (Moura et al., 2021). Subsequently, the collected data were explored with the aim of identifying characteristics and patterns related to the research object, as well as presenting possible answers to the previously formulated research question. When analyzing the data retrieved from the different platforms, thematic coding was done, so that the codes were created according to the categories that could be generated. These categories emerged from the data but were also based on the theoretical framework underlining the study, namely the dimensions of knowledge and attitudes that encompass the concept of competence.

None of the data were removed from the analysis, and the triangulation of all the results was the final goal. The excerpts chosen to be presented in this article are mere examples of the students’ voices, which were chosen according to their perceived representative role within the results shown in this text.

Three categories were formed (

Table 2. Table of categories for analysis.

Categories
A. Knowledge about the (inter)cultural dimension: intercultural awareness, intercultural competence; Artificial Intelligence.
B. Intercultural dimension: diversity of eating habits; mannerisms and reaction of students.
C. On Intercultural Diversity: opinion on the impact of the digital world on interpersonal relationships and on the importance of exploring the intercultural dimension.

) regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and conceptions of the participants, namely: the concepts related to digital citizenship and to the intercultural dimension; participants’ attitudes in certain situations of both the digital and “real” world in relation to the intercultural dimension; their opinion on the topic of digital citizenship and intercultural diversity.

4. Results and Discussion of the Data

The data obtained reveal students’ knowledge, attitudes, and personal conceptions regarding certain phenomena in the digital world. In discussing the results related to the intercultural dimension of the study, it became evident, based on the scripts presented during the roleplay activity (session 5), that participants seem to demonstrate awareness and caution in avoiding the dissemination or amplification of information or claims about groups of people or activities without prior fact-checking and verification of sources. For example: “If you think about it, every eating habit can be right or wrong depending on the country you are in. It’s all about mutual respect, cultural awareness, and tolerance” (Student 16). According to the scripts created for the roleplay, it was also seen that 11 participants still required further awareness regarding the concept of “protection from discrimination”. By the end of the project, several participants appeared to demonstrate increased awareness, as seen in their final reflections and responses. Many began to articulate more nuanced views on digital interactions and showed signs of critically engaging with intercultural issues online.

With regard to attitudes, the participants appear to exhibit a gap in their understanding of disrespect towards the Other, as evidenced by their responses to the Council of Europe quiz. This quiz, which comprises five chapters, offers three possible outcomes for participants: Detective (the highest level), Disciple, or Disruptor (the lowest level). Although a significant number of students (21) achieved the “desirable” outcome of Detective in the digital questionnaire, Council of Europe quiz (Session 2), their responses in the “Protection from Discrimination” section revealed challenges in identifying disrespectful or inappropriate behaviors. This difficulty is evident not only in their quiz responses but also in classroom activities. For instance, during Session 4, students watched videos featuring international breakfasts and were asked to reflect on their perceptions of the individuals consuming these meals and whether they themselves would consider eating them. In response to the prompt, “If you saw someone eating this breakfast, would you criticize that person? Would you be able to eat it for breakfast? Justify your answer”, some students displayed what may appear to be prejudiced attitudes or positions towards cultural diversity and the Other. One example includes: “Yes, without a doubt. Who the hell puts beans in bread? Just disgusting. The people who have done this and like it should go to the mental hospital.”.

Adding on the attitudes’ domain, the answers collected through Google Forms suggest that certain participants lack awareness of the impact of their online behavior, not only on themselves but also on other digital citizens. Thus, many of the participants do not seem to understand the meaning of inappropriate behavior online and seem to have a lack of responsibility to admit that their bad behaviors make them bad digital citizens. This may be due to the fact that the participants have some fear that admitting their bad behaviors will make them a bad (digital) citizen.

During the analysis of students’ scripts from the roleplay activity, specific choices emerged regarding mannerisms, particularly the non-verbal gestures they opted to include. For example, when talking to another colleague during the roleplay: “Wow, you are really bad at it. You should never stick your chopsticks into the food because, in my country, that is associated with mourning rituals. […] Actually, in my country, you can also eat with your hands. Lots of people eat sushi with their hands.” (Student 24). Through this activity, students demonstrated significant progress in identifying behaviors deemed inappropriate in other cultures, as well as in recognizing characteristic mannerisms of the cultures they represented. As previously mentioned, it was through the research conducted during the third session that students effectively “immersed” themselves in the culture they portrayed. By gathering information on table etiquette in their chosen country, they were able to understand and replicate culturally specific mannerisms in a respectful and informed manner. In the fourth session, the aim was to explore the participants’ perspectives on the impact of the virtual world on interpersonal relationships. The activity involved a reading comprehension task based on a text that connected the intercultural dimension with Artificial Intelligence. Participants were then asked to respond to the following question: “Do you agree that the digital world has brought people closer together, but not always in an effective or appropriate way? Justify your answer”.

When analyzing the responses, one of the most significant advantages of the digital world highlighted by the participants was the promotion of intercultural awareness. Students mentioned that individuals online are exposed to a wide range of cultural perspectives, as illustrated by the example: “[…] it gave the opportunity to people from different cultures to share their views on the world” (Student 13). Based on the participants’ responses, it is evident that the majority recognize the digital world as a facilitator of cultural awareness. This is reflected in statements such as, “I think technology improves our relationship with other cultures. An example is Google Translator, which helps us understand other languages and communicate with people from other countries […]”. Thus, the students appear to be aware of the digital world’s role in fostering cultural understanding and facilitating global connections. However, when faced with certain online situations involving other digital citizens, they do not always appear to benefit from the advantages they themselves identified. As a result, they tend to adopt behaviors that are inconsistent with the rights and responsibilities of a digital citizen, which had been previously discussed with them.

Based on the data obtained, it can be inferred that the implementation of the didactic project in question was successfully carried out in the context of developing new knowledge related to digital citizenship and the intercultural dimension. This conclusion is supported by the fact that some participants attribute high relevance to the intercultural dimension, perceiving it as an opportunity to gain knowledge about different cultures, challenge prejudices, and foster an understanding of global diversity. However, other participants either do not fully comprehend this dimension or, despite understanding its purpose, express a more passive stance. As one student stated: “If I’m visiting a country I would find out one way or another, and it would be a surprise so maybe even better.” (Student 6). This indicates that not all participants were able to fully appreciate the significance of the intercultural dimension. Nevertheless, five students recognized the virtual world’s substantial contribution to promoting inclusion, noting that it “[…] gave the opportunity to people from different cultures to share their views on the world […]”. Moreover, 24 responses to the question, “Do you agree that the digital world brought people together, but not always in an effective and correct way? Justify your answer”, emphasized the digital world’s role in strengthening interpersonal connections. For instance, one participant commented: “I agree that the digital world brought people together. For the first time in history, people can communicate with each other even if they are in different corners of the world. […]” (Student 11).

One possible explanation is that the intercultural dimension is so embedded in students’ discourse that they may not consciously recognize it. However, their responses often implicitly reference concepts such as inclusion and mutual understanding. This subtle integration might contribute to the perception of the topic as unengaging or tedious for some, as one student remarked: “However, I do believe the topic to be a bit boring though.” (Student 7).

The study acknowledges the methodological limitation related to the absence of baseline data on students’ initial competences. As the project did not include a formal pre-test assessment, it is not possible to determine conclusively whether students’ responses reflect learning that occurred during the implementation of the sessions or prior knowledge they already possessed. However, we highlight that the data were systematically collected at both the beginning and end of the project. This allowed for a comparative analysis of students’ contributions over time, offering insights into potential shifts in their understanding and perspectives. While this does not fully replace a structured pre-test/post-test design, it does provide a basis for identifying indications of learning and development throughout the process.

5. Conclusions

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a targeted five-session intervention in fostering digital citizenship skills among upper secondary EFL students. The integrated approach, emphasizing the intercultural dimension, led to some improvements in students’ understanding of online rights and responsibilities, and a demonstrable positive shift in attitudes toward intercultural interaction according to the students’ answers regarding the project activities. While some pre-existing prejudices persisted, the project successfully raised awareness of diverse cultural perspectives within the digital realm. These findings highlight the crucial role of the foreign language classroom as a privileged space for promoting responsible digital engagement and intercultural sensitivity.

Thematic analysis suggests a perceived improvement in digital citizenship competency, particularly concerning intercultural awareness. While initial challenges in recognizing and addressing online disrespect were observed, the study suggests that continued focused interventions integrating intercultural awareness within digital citizenship education can effectively cultivate responsible digital engagement and intercultural sensitivity in EFL secondary education. Future research should explore the long-term impact of such interventions and investigate the development of effective strategies to address the persistent challenges concerning online respect and intercultural understanding.

In conclusion, as discussed in the theoretical framework, teachers play a crucial role in guiding learner to reflect and address issues of social justice, prejudice, and intercultural awareness through the use of digital tools (Giralt et al., 2023; Simões et al., 2024). By developing their digital competencies and engaging in activities that promote digital citizenship education, teachers can effectively connect with students on a range of topics. This approach enables them to support students in becoming responsible digital citizens—individuals who respect others, prioritize online safety, and critically evaluate information, considering both their own well-being and that of their peers.