Speaker
Description
In this poster session, a wide variety of commercial apps used for language learning will be demonstrated, including Immerse-me, Body Swaps, Mondly, Noun-Town, and VR-Chat. Participants will also be able to demo and try the apps. After trying out the apps attendees will be asked to fill out a survey regarding their virtual world experience with variables focusing on iconicity, approach to language learning, and immersion in the app. Iconicity is "a quality of resemblance between the form and meaning of a symbol." In the context of VR, iconicity refers to how closely the graphical representations resemble their real- world counterparts. The concept is central to the experience of VR as users are either interacting with the graphical representations in the app itself or communicating with other users on top of the graphical design. While the uses of VR are evident for scale-based fields such as architecture and telemedicine, the uses of language learning are less evident. In language learning VR apps, the design of virtual worlds and graphical representations often have varying degrees of iconicity, ranging from realistic to symbolic depictions of real-world objects, which may impact the learning experience differently compared to VR apps in other fields. Research has shown that the real-world spatial environment affects language acquisition and perception (Fort & Schwarz,2022). Therefore, it is crucial to understand how the design of the virtual environment may affect language learning and student acquisition when we use VR for language learning. The survey results will help inform teachers, XR designers, and students by providing insights into how the typological differences between virtual reality apps may impact language learning outcomes and user experiences.
