Second Life’ın Yabancı Dil Olarak İngilizce Öğrenimine Etkisi: Sistematik Alanyazın İncelemesi

Öz

Bu sistematik alan yazın incelemesi, sanal dünyalar içinde önemli bir yere sahip olan Second Life’ın, yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğrenimindeki etkilerini değerlendirmektedir. Second Life’ın yabancı dil öğrenimindeki etkilerini ortaya çıkarmak için hazırlanan araştırma soruları kapsamında gerçekleştirilen bu çalışmada eğitim alanındaki seçkin veri tabanlarındaki tarama sonrasında ortaya çıkan ondört yayın incelenmiştir. Bu yayınlar yabancı dil öğrenimindeki dört temel beceriye; dinleme, konuşma, okuma ve yazmaya odaklanarak sınıflandırılmıştır. Yayınların dil beceri türü, çalışmanın amacı, bulgular ve sonuçlar olarak özetleri sunulmuştur. İncelenen çalışmalarda Second Life’ın sürükleyici, etkileşimli ve görsel olarak zengin yapısı öğrenci motivasyonunu ve katılımını önemli ölçüde etkilediği görülmüştür. Özellikle, kişiselleştirilebilir avatarlar aracılığıyla sağlanan anonimlik, öğrencilerin konuşma kaygısını azaltmakta, konuşma pratiği için daha rahat ve çekici bir ortam sunmaktadır. Bulgular, Second Life kullanılarak gerçekleştirilen etkinliklerin, özellikle gramer, kelime bilgisi ve akıcılık gibi konuşma becerisi alt boyutlarında geleneksel sınıf içi uygulamalara kıyasla daha başarılı olduğunu göstermektedir. Aynı zamanda okuma ve yazma becerileri de etkileşimli görevler ve platform içi içerik oluşturma aracılığıyla desteklenebilmektedir. Bu pozitif bulguların yanında, platformun kullanımının önünde yüksek performanslı bir bilgisayara ihtiyaç duyulması ve istikrarlı yüksek hızlı bir İnternet bağlantısı gibi önemli teknik ihtiyaçlar bulunmaktadır. Bu ihtiyaçlar öğrencilerin platforma erişilebilirliğini kısıtlarken öğrenciler arasında halihazırda var olan dijital uçurumu da derinleştirmektedir. Mevcut müfredat kapsamında geliştirilerek kullanılacak materyallerin Second Life platformuna pedagojik olarak uyarlanması, müfredata entegrasyonu ve tüm bunların gerçekleştirilmesinin oldukça maliyetli olması önemli zorluklar içinde yer almaktadır. Sonuç olarak, bu alan yazın çalışmasında elde edilen bulgular, Second Life’ın ikinci dil olarak İngilizce öğreniminde öğrencilerin temel dil becerilerini kazanmalarında etkili ve dönüştürücü bir potansiyele sahip olduğunu teyit etmektedir. Gelecekteki araştırmalarda, platformun uzun vadeli etkilerini inceleyen boylamsal çalışmalara, artırılmış/karma gerçeklik gibi yeni teknolojilerle entegrasyonuna, sanal dünya pedagojisine odaklanan öğretmen eğitim programlarına ve veri gizliliği gibi etik konulara yönelmesi önemle tavsiye edilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Second Life
• Yabancı Dil Olarak İngilizce (EFL)
• Yabancı Dil Öğretimi
• Sistematik Literatür Taraması
• Sanal Dünyalar

The Impact of Second Life on English as a Foreign Language Learning: A Systematic Literature Review

Öz

This systematic literature review evaluates the impact of Second Life, which holds an important place in virtual worlds, on the learning of English as a foreign language. Within the scope of the research questions prepared to reveal the impact of Second Life on foreign language learning, fourteen publications identified after searching leading databases in the field of education were examined. These publications were categorised based on their focus on the four core skills of foreign language learning: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The publications were summarised primarily according to language skill type, study purpose, findings, and conclusions. The studies examined revealed that Second Life's innovative, immersive, interactive, and visually rich structure significantly influenced student motivation and participation. In particular, the anonymity provided by customisable avatars reduces students' anxiety about speaking and creates a more comfortable, appealing environment for speaking practice. The findings indicate that activities conducted in Second Life are more successful than traditional classroom applications, particularly in the sub-dimensions of speaking skills, including grammar, vocabulary, and fluency. Reading and writing skills are also supported through interactive tasks and in-platform content creation. Alongside these positive findings, there are significant technical requirements for using the platform, such as a high-performance computer and a stable, high-speed internet connection. These requirements limit students' accessibility to the platform and deepen the existing digital divide among students. Adapting materials developed within the existing curriculum for the Second Life platform, integrating them pedagogically, and implementing this approach are quite costly and present significant challenges. In conclusion, the findings from this review study confirm that Second Life has the potential to be an effective and transformative tool in helping students acquire basic language skills in learning English as a second language. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies examining the platform's long-term effects, its integration with emerging technologies such as augmented/mixed reality, teacher education programmes focused on virtual-world pedagogy, and ethical issues, including data privacy.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Second Life
• EFL (English as a Foreign Language)
• Foreign Language Teaching
• Systematic Literature Review
• Virtual Worlds

Kaynakça

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