Speakers
Description
This study examines a 2025 student-led project where a team of international and Japanese university students developed virtual tour workshops to foster cross-cultural understanding among young people. Analyzing survey and interview data from secondary school and Kansai Expo workshops, the researchers investigate VR's role in connecting participants with otherwise largely inaccessible cultures. The presentation demonstrates design strategies for maximizing intercultural communication, outlines specific participant benefits, and provides recommendations for implementing similar immersive projects.
Short summary
This study examines a 2025 student-led project where a team of international and Japanese university students developed virtual tour workshops to foster cross-cultural understanding among young people. Analyzing survey and interview data from secondary school and Kansai Expo workshops, the researchers investigate VR's role in connecting participants with otherwise largely inaccessible cultures. The presentation demonstrates design strategies for maximizing intercultural communication, outlines specific participant benefits, and provides recommendations for implementing similar immersive projects.
References
Alizadeh, M., & Cowie, N. (2022). Language learning and virtual reality: A scoping review. In S. Wilson, N. Arthars, D. Wardak, P. Yeoman, E. Kalman, & D. Y. T. Liu (Eds.), Reconnecting relationships through technology. Proceedings of the 39th International Conference on innovation, practice and research in the use of educational technologies in tertiary education, ASCILITE 2022 in Sydney: e22258. https://doi.org/10.14742/apubs.2022.258
Chateau, A., Ciekanski, M., Molle, N., & Paris, J. (2019). Adding virtual reality to the university selfaccess language centre: Brave new world or passing fad? European Journal of Language Policy, 11(2), 257-274. https://doi.org/10.3828/ejlp.2019.15
Li, Q., Liu, Q., Jiang, M., & Wang, R. (2024). Virtual reality as a bridge: Enhancing intercultural learning and communication skills among international students. International Communication of Chinese Culture, 11, 385-411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40636-024-00297-9
Abstract
Previous research into immersive technologies in language learning has shown how virtual reality (VR) activities can enhance learner engagement and motivation (Alizadeh & Cowie, 2022), and provide opportunities for intercultural exchange (Chateau et al., 2019).
Research has confirmed that VR can expose learners to diverse cultural contexts, fostering greater awareness and understanding of different perspectives (Li et al., 2024).
Building on a workshop programme developed for the university self-access centre, this study examines a student-led university project which took place between July and December 2025, with a preliminary trial workshop in May. Ten university students, both Japanese and international students, collaborated to develop a virtual tour workshop for young people. The researchers investigated the role the VR virtual tours played in facilitating cross-cultural understanding between the international students and the university students, children and young people who would otherwise have little access to the international students’ cultures. Interview data from the international students who developed and facilitated the virtual tours was examined, along with survey data from the participants of several workshops (two at a university-affiliated secondary school, and one open to the public at the 2025 Kansai Expo). In this presentation, the researchers will demonstrate how such tours can be designed to maximise intercultural communication and explain the specific benefits for the participants revealed by the data analysis. They will also illustrate the viability of the project and offer specific recommendations for similar projects with a range of technical support.
Keywords
immersive technologies, virtual reality, intercultural communication, student-led project
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday or Sunday |
|---|---|
| Title | Using VR tours to enhance intercultural experiences |