Virtual Reality Games in EFL Class: Examining Learners’ Vocabulary Learning

Virtual reality (VR) is “a computer technology that gives the illusion, to those who use it, of being immersed in a virtual environment that does not really exist. It is a computer simulation of a real situation where the human subject may interact with the virtual environment, sometimes by the means of non conventional interface like glasses and helmets on which the scene is represented and the sounds reproduced” (Fassi et al., 2016. p. 140). VR games are popular among children, teenagers, and adults because the games are fun and exciting to play. With the popularity of VR, it is predicted that global users will exceed 337 million in 2025 (Huawei’s GIV, 2019). Currently, VR games are actively being integrated as a teaching and learning apparatus to support teacher’s teaching and learner’s learning experiences (Alfadil, 2020; Radianti et al., 2019). Because of the popularity of VR in language teaching and learning, this application has been applied into foreign/second language learning in 2000’s (Alfadil, 2020; Chien et al., 2020; Rau et al., 2018; Tai et al., 2020). The impacts of VR on improving vocabulary (Alfadil, 2020; Tai et al., 2020), speaking (Chien et al., 2020), writing performance (e.g., Dolgunseoz et al., 2018; Parong& Mayer, 2018; Peeters & Dijkstra, 2018) and speed reading (Rau et al., 2018) have been acknowledged using a quantitative approach and the interpretation of the research findings merely emphasizes on score improvement. This intervention model is effective in providing statistical evidence, but it cannot unveil learners’ learning processes during learner VR interaction. Through VR teachers and students can explore exact information and object visualizations that are impossible to experience in real life using bare eyes (Alfadil, 2020). However, there is still limited study on foreign language vocabulary acquisition through VR technology using quantitative and qualitative approaches at the same time to explore both learning processes and outcomes.