An Immersive Virtual Reality Experience for Learning Spanish

• Published in: Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Ubiquitous and Virtual Environments for Learning and Collaboration Vol. 11591; pp. 151 - 161
• Main Authors: Garcia, Sarah, Laesker, Denis, Caprio, Derek, Kauer, Ronald, Nguyen, Jason, Andujar, Marvin
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2019; Springer International Publishing
• Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• Subjects: Game-based learning; Gaming; Immersion; Language education; Language learning; Virtual reality
• ISBN: 9783030218164; 3030218163
• ISSN: 0302-9743; 1611-3349
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-21817-1_12

While increases in the development of virtual reality (VR) have expanded the possibilities of learning foreign languages, research for computer assisted language learning in VR is lacking [1]. Virtual reality headsets continue to become more accessible to end users, and there is a current lack of educational language learning applications for such platforms. There are many tools and applications for language learning, however most lack the aspect of immersion – a proven method of learning a foreign language as seen in experiments involving overseas language experiences [2]. Therefore, this paper presents an interactive VR experience for learning Spanish through an immersive interaction and game-play, followed by the results from a focus group regarding user experience feedback. Additionally, this paper will detail the design and development of the current prototype. Results indicate that participants found this method of language learning to be more enjoyable than traditional methods because it did not feel like they were studying.