Virtual Reality in the EFL Classroom Educational Affordances and Students’ Perceptions in Cyprus
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Published
Feb 1, 2019
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Abstract
Virtual reality has attracted the interest of the research community due to the endless possibilities it offers in the educational arena. Although a wide range of applications already exists, further research is required to establish effective practices for a fruitful classroom implementation. This quantitative research of a sample of 37 primary school students explores the educational affordances and students’ perceptions of virtual reality systems as supportive tools for teaching English as a foreign language. To address the objective of the study, an evaluation test and a questionnaire were administered to the participants. The results showed a positive outcome on students’ performance, since it motivated them to visualize abstract knowledge within the virtual world without having to leave the comfort zone of their classroom. The current work revealed the growing potential of VR in the teaching and learning practices and can serve as a reference point for studies to follow. The vision of further agenda on the dynamics of virtual reality in the field of foreign language education is highlighted. Finally, implications for the implementation of VR in the educational system in Cyprus are discussed.
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Keywords
virtual reality (VR), educational technology, primary education, students, Google Cardboard, Google Expeditions, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), constructivism
References
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Barilli, E. (2012) ‘Virtual Reality Technology as a Didactical and Pedagogical Resource in Distance Education for Professional Training;. In P. Muyinda (ed.), Distance Education. London: IntechOpen. Available at https://mts.intechopen.com/books/distanceeducation/the-technology-of-virtual-reality-as-a-pedagogical-resource-for-professionalformation-in-the-distan, retrieved 24 March 2018.
Bouras, C. and Tsiatsios, T. (October 2006) Virtual Reality and Virtual Environments in Education. Presented in the 3ο Panhellenic conference of ΕΕΕP-DTPE, Education & New Technologies. Koridalos.
Brown, A. and Green, T. (2016) Virtual reality: Low-cost tools and resources for the classroom. TechTrends, Vol. 60, No. 5: 517-519.
Chen, Y. (2016) ‘The Effects of Virtual Reality Learning Environment on Student Cognitive and Linguistic Development’. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, Vol. 25, No. 4: 637-646.
Chen, X. and Chen, M. (2016) ‘The Application of Virtual Reality Technology in EFL Learning Environment in China’. In Liu Weiguo, C. Guiran and Z. Huiyu (eds), International Conference on Sensor Network and Computer Engineering, Paris: Atlantic Press.
Christou, C. (2010) ‘Virtual reality in education’. In A. Tzanavari and N. Tsapatsoulis (eds), Affective, interactive and cognitive methods for e-learning design: Hershey, PA: IGI Global: 228-243.
Dávideková, M., Mjartan, M. and Greguš, M. (2017) ‘Utilization of Virtual Reality in Education of Employees in Slovakia’. Procedia Computer Science, Vol. 113: 253-260.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly: 319-340.
DeNisco, A. (2015) ‘Wearable tech expands new horizons’. District Administration, Vol. 51, No. 11: 66.
Huang, H. M., Rauch, U. and Liaw, S. S. (2010) ‘Investigating learners’ attitudes toward virtual reality learning environments: Based on a constructivist approach’. Computers & Education, Vol. 55, No. 3: 1171-1182.
Freina, L. and Ott, M. (2015, January) ‘A literature review on immersive virtual reality in education: state of the art and perspectives’. In The International Scientific Conference eLearning and Software for Education, Vol. 1: 133.
Gadelha, R. (2018) ‘Revolutionizing Education: The promise of virtual reality’. Childhood Education, Vol. 94, No. 1: 40-43.
Greenwald, S., Kulik, A., Kunert, A., Beck, S., Frohlich, B., Cobb, S. and Snyder, A. (2017). ‘Technology and applications for collaborative learning in virtual reality’. In B. K. Smith, M. Borge, E. Mercier and K. Y. Lim (eds). Making a Difference: Prioritizing Equity and Access in CSCL, 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), Vol. 1. Philadelphia, PA: International Society of the Learning Sciences: 719-276.
Gronstedt, A. (2018) ‘The Immersive Reality Revolution’. TD: Talent Development, Vol. 72, No. 2: 32.
Huang, H. and Liaw, S. (2018) ‘An Analysis of Learners’ Intentions toward Virtual Reality Learning Based on Constructivist and Technology Acceptance Approaches’. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Vol. 19, No. 1: 91-115.
Hussein, M. and Natterdal, C. (June, 2015) ‘The benefits of virtual reality in education: A comparison study’. Bachelor’s Thesis, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden. Available at https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/39977, accessed 2 April 2018.
Jensen, L. and Konradsen, F. (2018) Education and Information Technologies, Vol. 23, No. 4: 1515. DOI:10.1007/s10639-017-9676-0.
Janßen, D., Tummel, C., Richert, A. and Isenhardt, I. (2016, June) ‘Towards Measuring User Experience, Activation and Task Performance in Immersive Virtual Learning Environments for Students’. In C. Allison, L. Morgado, L., J. Pirker, D. Beck, J. Richter, C. Gütl (eds) Immersive Learning Research Network: Second International Conference, iLRN 2016 Santa Barbara, CA, USA, June 27 – July 1, 2016 Proceedings, Switzerland: Springer: 45-58.
Lee, B. W., Shih, H. Y., Chou, Y. T. and Chen, Y. S. (2017, May) ‘Educational Virtual Reality implementation on English for Tourism Purpose using knowledge-based engineering’. In Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Applied System Innovation, Piscataway, NJ: IEEE: 792-795.
Lee, S. H. [Mark], Sergueeva, K., Catangui, M. and Kandaurova, M. (2017) ‘Assessing Google Cardboard virtual reality as a content delivery system in business classrooms’. Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 92, No. 4: 153-160.
Liu, D., Bhagat, K. K., Gao, Y., Chang, T. W. and Huang, R. (2017) ‘The Potentials and Trends of Virtual Reality in Education’. In D. Liu, C. Dede, R. Huang, J. Richards (eds) Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Realities in Education, Singapore: Springer: 105-130. Logan, A. G. (2016). ‘Digital Citizenship in 21st Century Education’. Master’s Theses and Capstone Projects. Available at https://scholar.dominican.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=1359&context=masters-theses, accessed 13 June 2018.
Mann Levesque, E. (2016) ‘Is virtual reality ready for school?’. Brookings.edu. Available at https:// www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2016/09/08/is-virtual-reality-readyfor-school-2/, accessed 28 April 2018.
Martín-Gutiérrez, J., Mora, C. E., Añorbe-Díaz, B. and González-Marrero, A. (2017) ‘Virtual Technologies Trends in Education’. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Vol. 13, No. 2: 469-486. DOI: 10.12973/eurasia.2017.00626a.
Minocha, S. (2015) ‘The State of Virtual Reality in Education – Shape of Things to Come’. International Journal of Engineering Research, Vol. 4, No. 11: 596–598.
Moesgaard, T. G., Witt, M., Fiss, J., Warming, C., Klubien, J. and Schønau-Fog, H. (2015) ‘Implicit and Explicit Information Mediation in a Virtual Reality Museum Installation and its Effects on Retention and Learning Outcomes’. In R. Munkvold and L. Kolås (eds), eference on Games-Based Learning: ECGBL 2015. Reading, UK: Academic Conferences and Publishing International: 387-394.
Ozkan, B. (2017) ‘The Reflections of English as a Foreign Language Teachers’ on the Use of Virtual Reality in Classroom Practice (International Black Sea University Case)’. Journal of Education in Black Sea Region, Vol. 2, No. 2.
Parmaxi, A., Stylianou, K. and Zaphiris, P. (2018) ‘Enabling Social Exploration Through Virtual Guidance in Google Expeditions: An Exploratory Study’. In M. Auer and T. Tsiatsos (eds) Interactive Mobile Communication Technologies and Learning: Proceedings of the 11th IMCL 2017. Basel: Springer.
Rasheed, F., Onkar, P. and Narula, M. (2015, December) ‘Immersive virtual reality to enhance the spatial awareness of students’. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on HCI, IndiaHCI 2015, NY, NY: ACM: 154-160).
Ray, A. B. and Deb, S. (2016, December) ‘Smartphone Based Virtual Reality Systems in Classroom Teaching—A Study on the Effects of Learning Outcome’. In Technology for Education (T4E), 2016 IEEE Eighth International Conference on IEEE: 68-71.
Rong Yang, J., Tan, F. H., Tan, A. H. and Parke, M. (2017) ‘Classroom Education Using Animation and Virtual Reality of the Great Wall of China in Jinshanling’. Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition: 7455-7470.
Sánchez, J., Lumbreras, M. and Silva, J. (1997). ‘Virtual Reality and Learning: Trends and Issues’. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Technology and Education, Oslo, 10-13 August 1997.
Schaffhauser, D. (2017). ‘VR and AR Come of AGE’. Times Higher Education Journal, Vol. 44, No. 3: 17.
Shen, C. W., Ho, J. T., Kuo, T. C., and Luong, T. H. (2017, April) ‘Behavioral intention of using virtual reality in learning’. In Proceedings of WWW‛17 26th International World Wide Web Conference, Geneva: International World Wide Web Conferences Steering Committee: 129-137.
Shih, Y. C. (2015) ‘A virtual walk through London: culture learning through a cultural immersion experience.’ Computer Assisted Language Learning, Vol. 28, No. 5: 407-428.
Stein, C. (2016) ‘Virtual Reality Design: How Head-Mounted Displays Change Design Paradigms of Virtual Reality Worlds’. MediaTropes, Vol. 6, No. 1: 52-85.
Stojšić, I., Džigurski, A. I., Maričić, O., Bibić, L. I. and Vučković, S. Đ. (2017) ‘Possible application of virtual reality in geography teaching’. Journal of Subject Didactics, Vol. 1, No. 2: 83-96.
Tempchin, J. (2016, March 23) ‘How Virtual Reality Will Democratize Learning’. ReadWrite. com, available at https://readwrite.com/2016/03/23/how-virtual-reality-will-democratizelearning/, accessed 22 February 2018.
Tsolakidis, Κ. and Fokidis, Μ. (2004) ‘Virtual reality in education: An initial reflection’. Modern Education, 135: 117-126.
Vergara, D., Rubio, M. P. and Lorenzo, M. (2017) ‘On the Design of Virtual Reality Learning Environments in Engineering’. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, Vol. 1, No. 2: 11.
Yang, J. C., Chen, C. H. and Jeng, M. C. (2010). Integrating video-capture virtual reality technology into a physically interactive learning environment for English learning. Computers & Education, Vol. 55, No. 3: 1346-1356.
Yap, M. C. (2016) Google Cardboard for a K12 Social Studies Module. Available at http://hdl. handle.net/10125/40604, accessed 20 March 2018.
Yildirim, G., Elban, M. and Yildirim, S. (2018) ‘Analysis of Use of Virtual Reality Technologies in History Education: A Case Study.’ Asian Journal of Education and Training, Vol. 4, No. 2: 62-69.
Woodford, C. (2017) ‘e’. Explainthatstuff.com. Available at http://www.explainthatstuff.com/ virtualreality.html, retrieved 3 April 2018.
Barilli, E. (2012) ‘Virtual Reality Technology as a Didactical and Pedagogical Resource in Distance Education for Professional Training;. In P. Muyinda (ed.), Distance Education. London: IntechOpen. Available at https://mts.intechopen.com/books/distanceeducation/the-technology-of-virtual-reality-as-a-pedagogical-resource-for-professionalformation-in-the-distan, retrieved 24 March 2018.
Bouras, C. and Tsiatsios, T. (October 2006) Virtual Reality and Virtual Environments in Education. Presented in the 3ο Panhellenic conference of ΕΕΕP-DTPE, Education & New Technologies. Koridalos.
Brown, A. and Green, T. (2016) Virtual reality: Low-cost tools and resources for the classroom. TechTrends, Vol. 60, No. 5: 517-519.
Chen, Y. (2016) ‘The Effects of Virtual Reality Learning Environment on Student Cognitive and Linguistic Development’. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, Vol. 25, No. 4: 637-646.
Chen, X. and Chen, M. (2016) ‘The Application of Virtual Reality Technology in EFL Learning Environment in China’. In Liu Weiguo, C. Guiran and Z. Huiyu (eds), International Conference on Sensor Network and Computer Engineering, Paris: Atlantic Press.
Christou, C. (2010) ‘Virtual reality in education’. In A. Tzanavari and N. Tsapatsoulis (eds), Affective, interactive and cognitive methods for e-learning design: Hershey, PA: IGI Global: 228-243.
Dávideková, M., Mjartan, M. and Greguš, M. (2017) ‘Utilization of Virtual Reality in Education of Employees in Slovakia’. Procedia Computer Science, Vol. 113: 253-260.
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly: 319-340.
DeNisco, A. (2015) ‘Wearable tech expands new horizons’. District Administration, Vol. 51, No. 11: 66.
Huang, H. M., Rauch, U. and Liaw, S. S. (2010) ‘Investigating learners’ attitudes toward virtual reality learning environments: Based on a constructivist approach’. Computers & Education, Vol. 55, No. 3: 1171-1182.
Freina, L. and Ott, M. (2015, January) ‘A literature review on immersive virtual reality in education: state of the art and perspectives’. In The International Scientific Conference eLearning and Software for Education, Vol. 1: 133.
Gadelha, R. (2018) ‘Revolutionizing Education: The promise of virtual reality’. Childhood Education, Vol. 94, No. 1: 40-43.
Greenwald, S., Kulik, A., Kunert, A., Beck, S., Frohlich, B., Cobb, S. and Snyder, A. (2017). ‘Technology and applications for collaborative learning in virtual reality’. In B. K. Smith, M. Borge, E. Mercier and K. Y. Lim (eds). Making a Difference: Prioritizing Equity and Access in CSCL, 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), Vol. 1. Philadelphia, PA: International Society of the Learning Sciences: 719-276.
Gronstedt, A. (2018) ‘The Immersive Reality Revolution’. TD: Talent Development, Vol. 72, No. 2: 32.
Huang, H. and Liaw, S. (2018) ‘An Analysis of Learners’ Intentions toward Virtual Reality Learning Based on Constructivist and Technology Acceptance Approaches’. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Vol. 19, No. 1: 91-115.
Hussein, M. and Natterdal, C. (June, 2015) ‘The benefits of virtual reality in education: A comparison study’. Bachelor’s Thesis, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden. Available at https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/39977, accessed 2 April 2018.
Jensen, L. and Konradsen, F. (2018) Education and Information Technologies, Vol. 23, No. 4: 1515. DOI:10.1007/s10639-017-9676-0.
Janßen, D., Tummel, C., Richert, A. and Isenhardt, I. (2016, June) ‘Towards Measuring User Experience, Activation and Task Performance in Immersive Virtual Learning Environments for Students’. In C. Allison, L. Morgado, L., J. Pirker, D. Beck, J. Richter, C. Gütl (eds) Immersive Learning Research Network: Second International Conference, iLRN 2016 Santa Barbara, CA, USA, June 27 – July 1, 2016 Proceedings, Switzerland: Springer: 45-58.
Lee, B. W., Shih, H. Y., Chou, Y. T. and Chen, Y. S. (2017, May) ‘Educational Virtual Reality implementation on English for Tourism Purpose using knowledge-based engineering’. In Proceedings of the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Applied System Innovation, Piscataway, NJ: IEEE: 792-795.
Lee, S. H. [Mark], Sergueeva, K., Catangui, M. and Kandaurova, M. (2017) ‘Assessing Google Cardboard virtual reality as a content delivery system in business classrooms’. Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 92, No. 4: 153-160.
Liu, D., Bhagat, K. K., Gao, Y., Chang, T. W. and Huang, R. (2017) ‘The Potentials and Trends of Virtual Reality in Education’. In D. Liu, C. Dede, R. Huang, J. Richards (eds) Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Realities in Education, Singapore: Springer: 105-130. Logan, A. G. (2016). ‘Digital Citizenship in 21st Century Education’. Master’s Theses and Capstone Projects. Available at https://scholar.dominican.edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi?article=1359&context=masters-theses, accessed 13 June 2018.
Mann Levesque, E. (2016) ‘Is virtual reality ready for school?’. Brookings.edu. Available at https:// www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2016/09/08/is-virtual-reality-readyfor-school-2/, accessed 28 April 2018.
Martín-Gutiérrez, J., Mora, C. E., Añorbe-Díaz, B. and González-Marrero, A. (2017) ‘Virtual Technologies Trends in Education’. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Vol. 13, No. 2: 469-486. DOI: 10.12973/eurasia.2017.00626a.
Minocha, S. (2015) ‘The State of Virtual Reality in Education – Shape of Things to Come’. International Journal of Engineering Research, Vol. 4, No. 11: 596–598.
Moesgaard, T. G., Witt, M., Fiss, J., Warming, C., Klubien, J. and Schønau-Fog, H. (2015) ‘Implicit and Explicit Information Mediation in a Virtual Reality Museum Installation and its Effects on Retention and Learning Outcomes’. In R. Munkvold and L. Kolås (eds), eference on Games-Based Learning: ECGBL 2015. Reading, UK: Academic Conferences and Publishing International: 387-394.
Ozkan, B. (2017) ‘The Reflections of English as a Foreign Language Teachers’ on the Use of Virtual Reality in Classroom Practice (International Black Sea University Case)’. Journal of Education in Black Sea Region, Vol. 2, No. 2.
Parmaxi, A., Stylianou, K. and Zaphiris, P. (2018) ‘Enabling Social Exploration Through Virtual Guidance in Google Expeditions: An Exploratory Study’. In M. Auer and T. Tsiatsos (eds) Interactive Mobile Communication Technologies and Learning: Proceedings of the 11th IMCL 2017. Basel: Springer.
Rasheed, F., Onkar, P. and Narula, M. (2015, December) ‘Immersive virtual reality to enhance the spatial awareness of students’. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on HCI, IndiaHCI 2015, NY, NY: ACM: 154-160).
Ray, A. B. and Deb, S. (2016, December) ‘Smartphone Based Virtual Reality Systems in Classroom Teaching—A Study on the Effects of Learning Outcome’. In Technology for Education (T4E), 2016 IEEE Eighth International Conference on IEEE: 68-71.
Rong Yang, J., Tan, F. H., Tan, A. H. and Parke, M. (2017) ‘Classroom Education Using Animation and Virtual Reality of the Great Wall of China in Jinshanling’. Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition: 7455-7470.
Sánchez, J., Lumbreras, M. and Silva, J. (1997). ‘Virtual Reality and Learning: Trends and Issues’. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Technology and Education, Oslo, 10-13 August 1997.
Schaffhauser, D. (2017). ‘VR and AR Come of AGE’. Times Higher Education Journal, Vol. 44, No. 3: 17.
Shen, C. W., Ho, J. T., Kuo, T. C., and Luong, T. H. (2017, April) ‘Behavioral intention of using virtual reality in learning’. In Proceedings of WWW‛17 26th International World Wide Web Conference, Geneva: International World Wide Web Conferences Steering Committee: 129-137.
Shih, Y. C. (2015) ‘A virtual walk through London: culture learning through a cultural immersion experience.’ Computer Assisted Language Learning, Vol. 28, No. 5: 407-428.
Stein, C. (2016) ‘Virtual Reality Design: How Head-Mounted Displays Change Design Paradigms of Virtual Reality Worlds’. MediaTropes, Vol. 6, No. 1: 52-85.
Stojšić, I., Džigurski, A. I., Maričić, O., Bibić, L. I. and Vučković, S. Đ. (2017) ‘Possible application of virtual reality in geography teaching’. Journal of Subject Didactics, Vol. 1, No. 2: 83-96.
Tempchin, J. (2016, March 23) ‘How Virtual Reality Will Democratize Learning’. ReadWrite. com, available at https://readwrite.com/2016/03/23/how-virtual-reality-will-democratizelearning/, accessed 22 February 2018.
Tsolakidis, Κ. and Fokidis, Μ. (2004) ‘Virtual reality in education: An initial reflection’. Modern Education, 135: 117-126.
Vergara, D., Rubio, M. P. and Lorenzo, M. (2017) ‘On the Design of Virtual Reality Learning Environments in Engineering’. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, Vol. 1, No. 2: 11.
Yang, J. C., Chen, C. H. and Jeng, M. C. (2010). Integrating video-capture virtual reality technology into a physically interactive learning environment for English learning. Computers & Education, Vol. 55, No. 3: 1346-1356.
Yap, M. C. (2016) Google Cardboard for a K12 Social Studies Module. Available at http://hdl. handle.net/10125/40604, accessed 20 March 2018.
Yildirim, G., Elban, M. and Yildirim, S. (2018) ‘Analysis of Use of Virtual Reality Technologies in History Education: A Case Study.’ Asian Journal of Education and Training, Vol. 4, No. 2: 62-69.
Woodford, C. (2017) ‘e’. Explainthatstuff.com. Available at http://www.explainthatstuff.com/ virtualreality.html, retrieved 3 April 2018.
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“Virtual Reality in the EFL Classroom: Educational Affordances and Students’ Perceptions in Cyprus”. 2019. Cyprus Review 30 (1): 381-96. https://cyprusreview.org/index.php/cr/article/view/559.