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.

Investigating EFL Coursebook Research in Turkey: Trends in Graduate Theses of the 2001-2013 Period

“…Past reports of ELT research trends by İnal et al (2016), Solak (2014), and Yağız et al (2016) had likewise demonstrated that for practical reasons, using surveys -especially Likert type scales -was the primary mode of data collection in the Turkish EFL context. The absence of an ideal sample size was another shared finding of the current analysis, but the choice over primary and secondary students as sample groups was unaccustomed in previous reviews of ELT research in Turkey, where there was a tendency to study adult groups, i.e.…”

“…The absence of an ideal sample size was another shared finding of the current analysis, but the choice over primary and secondary students as sample groups was unaccustomed in previous reviews of ELT research in Turkey, where there was a tendency to study adult groups, i.e. undergraduate students (İnal et al, 2016;Solak, 2014;Yağız et al, 2016).…”

“…In the first of these, Alptekin and Tatar (2011) grouped Turkish ELT researchers' most common interests into six broad areas: (i) foreign language teaching and teachers, (ii) foreign language learning and learners, (iii) foreign language teacher education, (iv) four language skills, (v) measurement and evaluation, and (vi) language and culture. Solak (2014) and Yağız, Aydın, and Akdemir (2016), on the other hand, undertook two similar analyses of research articles in ELT, which merely differed in sample size and time period.…”

“…Between 2001 and 2013, studies dealing with EFL coursebook evaluations accelerated after MoNE's program modifications and introduction of new coursebooks. The scarcity of textbook studies had previously been documented by several meta-analyses of ELT research in Turkey, and regardless of the number of publications being examined, coursebooks were the least studied area in each case (İnal et al, 2016;Kırmızı, 2012;Özmen et al, 2016;Solak, 2014).…”

“…for "academic garnishing"), the quantitative paradigm became once again the dominant research model in EFL coursebook evaluations (Özmen et al, 2016, p. 1749). Graduate coursebook researchers' avoidance of mixed-method design had also been identified as a common feature of ELT research in Turkey by four other content analyses of doctoral dissertations and research papers (İnal et al, 2016;Özmen et al, 2016;Solak, 2014;Yağız et al, 2016).…”