"Simplement partager, sans questions": Empathie et émotion dans un projet télécollaboratif centré sur l'autobiographie

This innovative tele-collaborative project was conducted at university level between migrants learning French as a second language in Québec and French foreign language learners in Australia. The project included reading and writing activities based on autobiographical texts focusing on the migration experience. Students in Québec shared their short texts with their peers in Australia on an online platform. This approach improved on approaches commonly used in Québec for second language learning because it focused: 1) on reading and writing skills instead of oral skills and 2) on the self-expression of each student's cultural identity instead of Québécois values and assimilation. We examined the expression of emotion in the short texts posted after reading the literary texts, in students' final pieces of writing, and in pre-and post-questionnaires. Our article explores the importance of emotion and its role in increasing students' engagement with literary texts, improving interactions with their peers and the writing of their final (longer) texts. We conclude that emotion is present in many ways, and that the themes in the selected texts are echoed in students' writing. When responding to the selected texts, students write about themselves in an indirect way and sometimes show empathy towards their peer's trajectories. Complementary research is needed to assess how sharing final texts could further enhance students' engagement in language learning.