ERIC Number: EJ1451023
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Sep
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0042-062X
EISSN: EISSN-1756-1221
Mapping Queer Berlin: The Potential of Virtual Reality Pedagogy for the Language Classroom
Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German, v57 n2 p277-289 2024
Immersive virtual reality (iVR) is a novel form of computer technology that promises to transform not only the delivery of language and cultural instruction but also how students produce language. The existing, yet limited, scholarship on the applications of iVR in the language classroom suggests affective and cultural benefits (e.g., increased student motivation and enthusiasm and bringing inaccessible locations and cultures to students) and a positive impact on vocabulary acquisition and speaking proficiencies, but evidence of iVR's effect on listening comprehension, reading, writing, and grammar instruction as well as higher-level cognition remains scarce and inconclusive. The project presented in this article, "Mapping Queer Berlin," targets this scholarly gap by investigating how iVR can improve students' reading and listening proficiencies and promote advanced research and communication skills. The explanation of the project design and the learning process and outcomes aims to guide instructors on how to integrate iVR into their classrooms, including its technological constraints and pedagogical pitfalls. Drawing on the instructor's and students' reflections, the article concludes that iVR is currently not mature enough to facilitate significant improvements in students' language proficiencies beyond an elementary level but shows potential for transforming language curricula with future developments.
Descriptors: Computer Simulation, Technology Uses in Education, Teaching Methods, Second Language Learning, Listening Comprehension, Reading Skills, Research Skills, Communication Skills, Technology Integration, German, Instructional Effectiveness
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A