Pixel International Conferences

Online language learning in higher education has a variety of formats including synchronous, on-demand and hybrid. Amid this changing landscape, using virtual reality (VR) platforms in lieu of Zoom and other video conferencing apps to conduct online lessons in real time has generated interest among educators since VR can potentially improve learning outcomes for language learners. However, most research studies that have been carried out on this topic have tended to be small-scale case studies. They typically include a small number of participants for a short time period focusing on limited areas of language learning such as vocabulary acquisition [1]. Unfortunately, there are few longitudinal studies which have critically examined how VR can affect wider aspects of language learning and teaching. To bridge this gap, the presenters initiated a quasi-experimental study to compare learning outcomes under two online flipped conditions: on Zoom and in VR. The control group study (Zoom) was completed in early 2023 with 32 Japanese university student participants taking part in a one hour, once a week, eight-week course. The experimental (VR) group study begins in October 2023 with approximately the same number of participants. In this presentation, the methods and results from the Zoom phase of the study will be shared. The flipped materials that the participants used were a series of YouTube videos about ‘Small Talk in English’; that is, strategies and tips for improving basic communication skills when meeting somebody for the first time. Each video is about five minutes long and students were asked to watch two every week. Each lesson had a similar pattern alternating between teacher talk to the whole group and short breakout room sessions in which students practiced small talk. These breakout room sessions were all recorded and transcribed. Each student’s English level was scored by two external assessors at the beginning, middle and end of the course. In addition, students completed a language anxiety survey, an engagement survey, and attended post-course focus group interviews. Results from the data collection suggest that such a flipped online classroom is very successful in promoting meaningful improvements in spoken language ability, especially in terms of initiating and sustaining conversations. Examples of such language gains and pedagogical implications will be shown in the presentation.