Abstract
This chapter examines the state and upcoming developments of virtual worlds (VWs) in the field of language education. Beginning with an overview of their historical development, the chapter will continue with a discussion of how VWs evolved from purely text-based environments to two-dimensional spaces, ending with the 3D interactive worlds that exist today. A selection of VWs will be examined for the applicability to language teaching and independent language learning, followed by a discussion of current challenges and difficulties in using VWs for these purposes. The chapter concludes with upcoming developments that will bring these environments into the realm of true virtual reality.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Brown, B. & Bell, M. (2004). CSCW at play: ‘There’ as a collaborative virtual environment. Paper presented at the 2004 ACM conference on computer supported cooperative work, Chicago, Illinois.
Bystrom, K. E., & Barfield, W. (1999). Collaborative task performance for learning using a virtual world. Presence, 8(4), 435–448.
Chen, X., Siau, K., & Nah, F. F.-H. (2012). Empirical comparison of 3-D virtual world and face-to-face classroom for higher education. Journal of Database Management, 23(3), 30–49.
Childress, M., & Braswell, R. (2006). Using massively multiplayer online role-playing games for online learning. Distance Education, 27(2), 187–196.
Dewey, J. (1939). Experience and education. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Grant, S. J., Huang, H., & Pasfield-Neofitou, S. (2013). Language learning in virtual worlds: The role of foreign language and technical anxiety. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 6, 1–9.
Grant, S. J., Huang, H., & Pasfield-Neofitou, S. (2014). The authenticity-anxiety paradox: The quest for authentic second language communication and reduced foreign language anxiety in virtual environments. Procedia Technology, 13, 23–32.
Gu, N., Gul, L. F., Williams, A., & Nakapan, W. (2009). Second Life—A context for design learning. In C. Wankel & J. Kingsley (Eds.), Higher education in virtual worlds: Teaching and learning in Second Life (pp. 159–180). Bingley: Emerald.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
KZero. (2015). KZERO Worldwide. Retrieved March 15, 2015, from http://www.kzero.co.uk/blog/category/universe-graph/.
Love, E., Ross, S. C., & Wilhelm, W. (2009). Opportunities and challenges for business education in Second Life. In C. Wankel & J. Kingsley (Eds.), Higher education in virtual worlds: Teaching and learning in Second Life (pp. 65–82). Bingley: Emerald.
Morningstar, C., & Farmer, F. R. (2001). Habitat: Reports from an online community. In J. Frenkel (Ed.), True names and the opening of the cyberspace frontier (pp. 239–330). New York: TOE.
Mroz, A. (2015). The development of second language critical thinking in a virtual language learning environment: A process-oriented mixed-method study. CALICO Journal, 32(3), 528–553.
Mulligan, J., & Patrovsky, B. (2003). Developing online games: An insider’s guide. Indianapolis: New Riders.
Passfield-Neofitou, S., Huang, H., & Grant, S. (2015). Lost in Second Life: Virtual embodiment and language learning via multimodal communication. Educational Technology Research and Development, 63, 709–726.
Price, S., & Rogers, Y. (2004). Let’s get physical: The learning benefits of interacting in digitally augmented physical spaces. Computers in Education, 43, 137–151.
Roussou, M. (2004). Learning by doing and learning through play: An exploration of interactivity in virtual environments for children. AMC Computers in Entertainment, 2(1), 1–23.
Sadler, R. (2012). Virtual Worlds, telecollaboration, and language learning: From theory to practice. Bern: Peter Lang.
Thomas, W. W. (2013). Incidental learning and virtual worlds. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Alberta, Alberta.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Wehner, A. K. (2014). Exploring the relationship of motivation, anxiety, and virtual worlds in the experiences of two Spanish language learners: A case study (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of South Florida, FL.
In addition to the references cited in the chapter, there are several foundational editing volumes related to VWs that are either currently published or forthcoming. For those interested in more research on this topic, the following are highly recommended:
Wankel, C., & Kingsley, J. (Eds.). (2009). Higher education in virtual worlds: Teaching and learning in Second Life. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
In addition to these book, ReCALL, the Journal of the European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning will have a special issue in 2018 on Interactions for language learning in and around virtual worlds.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Sadler, R. (2017). Virtual Worlds and Language Education. In: Thorne, S., May, S. (eds) Language, Education and Technology. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02328-1_29-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02328-1_29-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02328-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02328-1
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education