Exploring the Experience of Year 10 South Korean Students' English Language Learning in Immersive Virtual Reality

Autor/inn/en	Restall, Greg C.; Yao, Ada; Niu, Belle
Titel	Exploring the Experience of Year 10 South Korean Students' English Language Learning in Immersive Virtual Reality
Quelle	In: TESOL in Context, 31 (2023) 2, S.21-67 (47 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1030-8385
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; High School Students; Grade 10; Second Language Learning; English (Second Language); Immersion Programs; Computer Simulation; Multimedia Materials; Authentic Learning; Independent Study; Second Language Instruction; Communicative Competence (Languages); Technology Integration; Teacher Attitudes; Student Attitudes; South Korea + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Zweitsprachenerwerb; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Immersionsprogramm; Computergrafik; Computersimulation; Selbststudium; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Communicative competence; Languages; Kommunikative Kompetenz; Sprache; Lehrerverhalten; Schülerverhalten; Korea; Republik
Abstract	A prescribed English language textbook often directs classroom teaching practices in secondary school classes in EFL contexts, such as in South Korea. The textbook is often accompanied by multimedia resources which are delivered to students as input at a regulated pace with limited opportunities for communicative interaction or spoken output. Such opportunities are further limited in the community outside of the English classroom. Immersive virtual reality (i-VR) has the potential to situate learners in a real-world context for authentic application of textbook language learning. English teachers in the formal classroom focus on linguistic competence development within time constraints by teaching new vocabulary and grammatical items in decontextualised forms. By comparison, i-VR environments focus on learning to construct meaning in communicative events in contextualised, real-world settings based on students' existing linguistic knowledge and ability. In a small-scale pilot study, two teachers of Year 10 English classes in Seoul implemented four i-VR language learning modules in their classes: one as a self-directed learning experience that extended beyond formal classroom learning, and the other as a teacher-facilitated learning experience within the formal classroom. On completion of the four modules over a two-week period, the participating students completed an online questionnaire and a voice recording of a spoken task. In addition, both teachers were interviewed after the two-week implementation to seek their views on their perceptions of the value of such i-VR learning for their students. Overall, students reported a positive correlation between their enjoyment of the experience and their perceived competence and confidence improvement. Beyond the motivational and entertainment value, the teachers viewed the i-VR experience as capable of incorporating pedagogical structures using the embedded multimodal resources that is less possible in other immersive forms of language learning. Moreover, the teachers believed that incorporation of authentic conversations and interactional opportunities could further enhance the learning potential. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Australian Council of TESOL Associations. P.O. Box 2019, Smithfield, New South Wales 2164, Australia. e-mail: actaexec@yahoo.com.au; Web site: http://www.tesol.org.au/Publications/TESOL-in-Context
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01