Does Virtual Reality Reduce Students' Foreign Language Anxiety? An Empirical Investigation

• In Event: Poster Session 19
  In Poster Session: Technology as an Agent of Change for Teaching and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

The issue of students’ foreign language anxiety has been a well-recognized and widely-studied factor hindering the mastery of any foreign language. This study reports the findings of a repeated-measure experimental study about using Virtual Reality (VR) tools (Google Cardboard and Expeditions) on students’ foreign language anxiety in Chinese (L2). Twelve students role-played as tour guides for six locations throughout a semester: four of them with VR tools and two without. Data collection included Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale students filled out periodically (right after Topics 1, 3, 4, and 6), class observations, reflections, and interviews. Results revealed that participants’ anxiety level when using VR tools was lower than when not using VR tools and the differences were statistically significant.

Authors

• Ying Xie, Northern Illinois University

• Yan Chen, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Lan-Hui Ryder, Northern Illinois University