A Content Analysis of Virtual Reality Studies in Foreign Language Education
Abstract
The use of Virtual Reality in education has been highly prevalent in recent years. In nearly every domain of education, integration of Virtual Reality has been ongoing including foreign language teaching and learning. There is a huge shift in teaching and learning facilities from conventional classrooms to interactive ones. What makes Virtual Reality special in comparison to other technologies are immersion, interaction and involvement properties. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the studies on foreign language learning and teaching through virtual reality technology and to highlight the current trends on this topic, thus propose some suggestions for future researchers of this field. Document analysis method was used in this study. Like other analytical methods in a qualitative research, document analysis requires that data be examined and interpreted in order to elicit meaning, gain understanding, and develop empirical knowledge. 40 research papers published between the years 1995 and 2015 were scanned in terms of data collection tools, research design, sample, sample size, data analysis method, and the topic of the paper. The results of the study revealed that document analysis was in the first place in terms of data collection tool and half of the studies were qualitative. In addition, undergraduate population was primarily the focus of attention. As from sample size, 101-300 size was primarily used. Moreover, effectiveness of virtual reality and game-based learning were the two outstanding topics of these studies
Keywords
language learning and teaching,virtual reality,VR in language education,technology
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