The use of virtual reality technology in foreign language education: from teachers’ perspectives

Thesis

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which face-to-face interaction and engagement have been difficult, language teachers are seeking a technological solution that provides students with real-life interactions so they can practise language in both classroom and home settings. The use of virtual reality (VR) technology, which allows students to immerse themselves in real-life scenarios in which they can have conversations with native speakers of the target language, is believed to be an optimal solution to this circumstance. However, research on the use of VR (e.g., ImmerseMe) in foreign language education is still in its infancy. The current study therefore aimed to empirically examine teachers’ perceptions of various aspects of VR, including the areas of learning supported by VR, the benefits and drawbacks of the technology, and any implementation challenges and enabling factors. A mixed-methods approach, specifically a sequential explanatory sub-design, was employed for data collection and analysis. The study involved 105 teachers teaching at secondary and higher education levels around the world. Quantitative data was collected via an online survey and analysed using a number of statistical tests, while qualitative data was collected through focus-group discussions and analysed thematically. The results showed that teachers perceived speaking and listening to be the learning areas that benefited most from the use of VR. The clearest VR benefits were found in contextualised learning, constructivist pedagogy, and student-centred teaching approaches, as well as in students’ language knowledge and confidence. Fewer benefits were found for school grades and long-term memory retention. The biggest perceived drawbacks of VR included the time-consuming nature of lesson redesign, a lack of practice time and content teaching in class, its limitation in completely replacing classroom interaction, and occasionally chaotic learning environments. Perceived challenges to VR implementation included a lack of access to hardware facilities and to the VR program, a lack of teacher training and training materials, and an insensitive voice recognition feature. It is therefore strongly advised that schools, teachers, and program organisers cooperate to maximise VR’s benefits, minimise its drawbacks, and address existing challenges. This research contributes to a body of work on the effective use of VR technology in foreign language education, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors: Tran, M

• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Quantitative research; ALSLA; Focus Groups; Education; Foreign language learning; Teachers' perspectives; ALSLA2021; Survey; Virtual reality; Qualitative research; Educational technology
• Subjects: Applied linguistics; Quantitative research; Educational technology; Education; Virtual reality; Qualitative research