What is it about?

This study, "A Social Virtual Reality Mobile Application for Learning and Practicing English," presents a mobile app designed to help English language learners improve their speaking skills using virtual reality (VR). Developed by researchers at King Abdulaziz University, the app, named "Language SVR," allows users to practice English in realistic VR settings, like restaurants or malls, by engaging in conversations with other learners or tutors, simulating a real-world social environment. This approach, especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, enables learners to practice conversational skills without needing face-to-face interaction. Key Findings: (1) Improved Engagement through VR: By providing interactive VR environments, the app encourages learners to actively participate in conversations, helping them remember vocabulary and practice pronunciation in realistic settings. (2) Social and Private Learning Modes: Users can join group sessions to chat with other learners or opt for private sessions with a tutor. This flexibility helps shy students feel more comfortable and offers personalized guidance through one-on-one interactions. (3) Real-Time Feedback: Tutors can give instant feedback on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency, allowing learners to immediately improve their skills based on specific criteria.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This app shows that VR technology can be a valuable tool for language learning, combining social learning with immersive experiences. Teachers and language institutions could use Language SVR as a supplementary tool to enhance students’ speaking confidence and make language practice more accessible.

Perspectives

I see it as an innovative approach to language learning, showcasing how virtual reality (VR) can make English practice more engaging and realistic. By simulating social settings where learners can converse as if in real-world locations, this VR app provides an immersive experience that is often difficult to achieve in traditional classrooms. This application of VR represents an exciting advancement for language education, emphasizing that technology can make learning more interactive, boost confidence, and cater to a variety of learning styles.

Dr Zilal Meccawy
King Abdulaziz University

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: A Social Virtual Reality Mobile Application for Learning and Practicing English, International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), May 2022, International Association of Online Engineering (IAOE),
DOI: 10.3991/ijim.v16i09.28289.
You can read the full text:

Read

Contributors

The following have contributed to this page