ERIC Number: ED611113
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Dec-14
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Situation Creation System to Enable Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds for Developing Cross-Cultural Competencies
Mirzaei, Maryam Sadat; Meshgi, Kourosh; Nishida, Toyoaki
Research-publishing.net, Paper presented at the EUROCALL 2020 Conference (28th, Online, Aug 20-21, 2020)
The emergence of virtual worlds and simulation games provide ample opportunities for developing cultural competence by offering a visual, contextual, immersive, and interactive experience. Learners can benefit from contextual interactions and develop cultural competencies by fulfilling quests or exploring the environment. However, most of the existing systems contain few pre-designed scenarios, inadequate for covering unique aspects of different cultures. This study introduces a situation creation toolkit for teachers and learners to design their culture-specific scenarios in a 3D environment and share it with others to experience such situations. In a preliminary experiment, 37 English learners with different cultural backgrounds created a scenario, specific to their culture, and provided proper/improper communicative choices as well as cultural-related notes. Scenarios were then exchanged to those of different cultures for role-playing and decision-making. Results highlighted the influence of L1 culture and stereotyping when facing an unfamiliar cultural context, thus leading to culturally unacceptable behavior. Findings suggest that through real-life scenario design and experience, our platform can prepare learners to interact in culturally appropriate ways and encourages them to gain cross-cultural competence. [For the complete volume, "CALL for Widening Participation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2020 (28th, Online, August 20-21, 2020)," see ED610330.]
Descriptors: Experiential Learning, Cultural Awareness, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, English (Second Language), Computer Simulation, Intercultural Communication, Vignettes, Cultural Differences, Teaching Methods, Instructional Design, Role Playing, Decision Making, Native Language, Cultural Context, Computer Software, Computer Assisted Instruction, Language Teachers, Language Usage, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students
Research-publishing.net. La Grange des Noyes, 25110 Voillans, France. e-mail: info@research-publishing.net; Web site: http://research-publishing.net
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A