Manuscript received November 15, 2022; revised December 30, 2022; accepted January 19, 2023.
Abstract—This paper aims to review the challenges to wider
adoption of VR technologies for language education at the
university level, focusing on teaching English as a foreign
language (TEFL). The first portion classifies these challenges,
as outlined in the current literature, into seven main themes:
“Lack of TEFL-Specific Content,” “Difficulty to Integrate
Learning and Evaluation,” “Supporting Various Learning
Approaches,” “Uncertainty Over Learning Outcomes,” “Costs
and Development Difficulty,” “VR Sickness and Other Physical
Issues,” and “Space and Setup.” In addition to this classification,
it considers curriculum-related challenges that are
underrepresented in current VR research, such as supporting
translanguaging and content and language integrated learning
(CLIL). Secondly, a novel design method, Dual-Frame System
Design, is introduced, which separates VR-based experiences
and TEFL learning content into separate “frames” that can be
swapped in and out for different learning needs. Finally, three
VR systems created with dual-frame system design are
evaluated in terms of their structures, functions, and user
experiences for how well they address these challenges. Lessons
learned from this evaluation may be useful for the future design
of VR systems.
Index Terms—Virtual reality, educational technology,
teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL)
S. H. Urueta is with the Department of English and American Studies,
Mejiro University, Tokyo, Japan. E-mail: s.urueta@mejiro.ac.jp (S.H.U.)
Cite: Steven H. Urueta, "Challenges Facing the Adoption of VR for Language Education: Evaluating Dual-Frame System Design as a Possible Solution," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 1001-1008, 2023.
Copyright © 2023 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).