Exploring the Effects of VR-assisted Learning on Students’ Learning Engagement in a University EFL Classroom

Abstract

Learning engagement is vital to the learning outcomes of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Virtual reality (VR) can create an immersive and interactive environment for users. Nevertheless, evidence is scarce regarding whether VR can boost EFL learners’ learning engagement. This study, thus, aims to explore the effects of VR technology on EFL learners’ learning engagement. A quasi-experiment was designed for this study with the self-developed Situational English in Virtual Reality platform. 64 EFL learners were randomly divided into experimental and comparison groups. The experimental group with 31 students received English learning with the assistance of VR on the designed platform, while the comparison group with 33 students watched instructional videos on PC. Data was collected using an adapted VR-assisted learning engagement questionnaire. The quantitative results demonstrated that VR is beneficial in enhancing EFL learners’ learning engagement, especially cognitive, emotional, and social engagement. This study offers empirical evidence of the positive impact of VR technology on EFL learners’ learning engagement. Pedagogically, VR-assisted language learning could be incorporated in future language learning class as an effective instructional approach to increase students’ learning engagement. This study provided some suggestions for both language instructors and technical experts in terms of task design, platform optimization, and material development.