Seeing from the Stage: How Virtual Reality Shapes Rhetorical Understanding through Embodied Learning

• In Event: AI and Immersive Technologies in Language Learning and Communication

Abstract

This mixed-methods study examines how virtual reality (VR) design affordances—such as spatial proximity, 360° immersion, and embodied cues—alongside presence and emotional engagement influence students’ rhetorical understanding in multimodal communication. Drawing on embodied learning theory, we analyzed emotional shifts, perceived presence, and performance on a rhetorical analysis task after students engaged with Hamlet’s soliloquy across VR, film, and stage. While emotional and immersive variables did not consistently predict performance, students’ reflections revealed that VR’s affordances fostered embodied interpretation through spatial proximity and affective resonance. VR positioned students within the rhetorical scene, prompting awareness of tone, gesture, and stance. These findings advance research on technology-based environments by showing how intentional VR design, presence, and affective engagement can scaffold interpretive learning.

Authors

• Meryem Yilmaz Soylu, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Kelly Williams, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Alison E Valk, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Jeonghyun Lee, Georgia Institute of Technology