An exploratory study on practising listening comprehension skills in high‐immersion virtual reality

Abstract

Holding learners' attention is challenging, especially when they are asked to listen to long passages. High‐immersion virtual reality (VR) can immerse learners in listening tasks, even in such complex languages as Chinese. This exploratory study examined the effect of VR on 43 Chinese language learners' listening comprehension, enjoyment, sense of presence, and cognitive load. Participants were self‐selected into two groups without knowing the purpose of the study or the details of their activity. The experimental group (n1 = 23) experienced an interactive multimedia story in VR, and the comparison group (n2 = 20) watched a screencast video recording of the same story. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) indicated that VR may have a positive effect on the development of listening skills. Compared with the video group, the VR group had significantly higher listening comprehension scores, reported significantly more enjoyment and sense of presence, and reported experiencing less cognitive load. Thus, the findings suggest that VR could be used as a pedagogical tool to enhance foreign language listening skills.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Practising listening skills is key for language development. Virtual reality (VR) is motivational and engaging. Research on practising listening skills in VR is scarce. What this paper adds VR can be beneficial for practising listening skills. Language learners highly enjoy practising listening in VR. Interactivity can improve engagement and support listening comprehension. Implications for practice and/or policy Learners should be provided pretraining and scaffolding prior to using VR. The duration of VR activities should be considered. Interactivity in VR may increase its effectiveness in attending listening tasks.

Enhancing Language Learning and Intergroup Empathy through Multi-user Interaction and Simulations in a Virtual World

“…The language learning study revealed that the combination of various networking strategies, such as individual assignments, interactions with bots, pair work, group work, simulations, and working with a teacher, contributed to significant improvements in participants' speaking, listening, vocabulary, and overall language proficiency. These findings support the notion that immersive and collaborative learning experiences in virtual worlds can facilitate authentic communication and negotiation of meaning, which are essential for language acquisition [11,37,40,69].…”

“…Virtual reality has also been shown to enhance learners' listening comprehension [40]. Kim et al [41] examined the impact of virtual reality on Korean language learners' listening comprehension and reported positive results, with VR-based instruction leading to better listening performance and increased learner motivation.…”