Feng Baoxin, Ng Lee Luan
Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Front Psychol. 2023 May 5;14:1134242. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1134242. eCollection 2023.
Immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology is being used to help EFL learners overcome their difficulties with their language skills, especially writing skills. Past studies showed that the instrument that provides immersion will positively affect learners' written performance. In line with that, this study aims to investigate the vocabulary usage and writing performance of learners who learn vocabulary IVR versus those who learn from conventional classroom-based instruction. A total of 144 Chinese-speaking English learners, who were divided into experimental group ( = 69) and control group ( = 75), experienced the treatments related to the writing tasks. The results show that the learners in the experimental group wrote more informatively and presented more details. Comparative analysis revealed that learners using IVR performed significantly better on target word usage, lexical density, distribution richness, and completion of task than those in the conventional classroom. Based on the results, it would seem that the positive transfer of learning may be related to the experience of exploring in a virtual environment. The immersion of IVR and the sense of presence and embodiment enable learners to benefit from their immersive experience which aids the use of vocabulary in their writing. The implication of the study demonstrated the impact of the technological factors, whereby what causes the improvement in writing performance is due to the learners' virtual experience and their sense of embodiment.
沉浸式虚拟现实（IVR）技术正被用于帮助英语外语学习者克服语言技能方面的困难，尤其是写作技能。过去的研究表明，提供沉浸式体验的工具将对学习者的写作表现产生积极影响。与此一致，本研究旨在调查通过IVR学习词汇的学习者与通过传统课堂教学学习词汇的学习者在词汇使用和写作表现方面的差异。共有144名说中文的英语学习者被分为实验组（n = 69）和对照组（n = 75），他们经历了与写作任务相关的处理。结果表明，实验组的学习者写作内容更丰富，呈现的细节更多。比较分析显示，使用IVR的学习者在目标词汇使用、词汇密度、分布丰富度和任务完成情况方面的表现明显优于传统课堂中的学习者。基于这些结果，学习的积极迁移似乎可能与在虚拟环境中的探索体验有关。IVR的沉浸式体验以及临场感和具身感使学习者能够从他们的沉浸式体验中受益，这有助于他们在写作中使用词汇。该研究的意义表明了技术因素的影响，即写作表现的提高是由于学习者的虚拟体验和他们的具身感。
