Contextualized Vocabulary Learning through a Virtual Learning
Environment
Yu-Li Chen, Ji-Liang Doong and Chun-Chia Hsu
Lunghwa University of Science and Technology
Taiwan
ylchen@mail.lhu.edu.tw
jldo@mail.lhu.edu.tw
anthsu@mail.lhu.edu.tw
Abstract: Higher education institutions are continuously seeking new and functional
technologies to become more productive, to strategically manage development, and to
effectively reconstruct curriculum in order to meet the needs and expectations of diverse
students and to engage students in learning. Among them, creating 3-D virtual
environment for students to conduct e-Learning is a growing tendency. In Taiwan’s
foreign language instruction, contextualized vocabulary learning has been receiving
increasing attention. This study aims to create a task-based virtual English language
learning environment to assist students in their
lexical
development.
The
pre-test/post-test non-equivalent experimental control group design will be used to
determine the effectiveness of English learning in the Dragon Virtual World
Environment (DVWE) system created by the university. Results show that student use of
the virtual reality system shall result in their word gains and lexical development and in
reviving their syntactic knowledge. The experiment-group students shall indicate higher
gains than the control-group students in word gains, lexical development, and syntactic
training. Their motivation shall be increased by using virtual world language learning.
Implications suggest that the creation of 3-D virtual world reveals educational
advantages and potential in language learning.
Introduction
Globalization and computer technology has increasingly transformed higher education institutions all over the
world (Altbach, 2005; Mok, 2006). In addition, there’s growing diversity in the students populations in many
universities around the globe(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2008). Hence, higher
education institutions are continuously seeking new and functional technologies to become more productive, to
strategically manage development, and to effectively reconstruct curriculum in order to meet the needs and
expectations of diverse students and to engage students in learning. Among them, creating virtual environment for
students to conduct e-Learning is a growing tendency (Inman, Wright, & Hartman, 2010) as contemporary students
are recognized as ‘Net generation’ (Sandars & Morrison, 2007) or ‘Digital Natives’ (Bayne & Ross, 2011; Prensky,
2003) and many university students use social networking such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate (Ohler,
2010; Thomas, 2011). As educational potential of virtual worlds is gradually being recognized (Savin-Baden, 2010;
Zhang, 2010), educators in various field can consider the pedagogical opportunities of immersive learning spaces for
student learning.
The value of virtual learning environment are threefold: 1) realization and feasibility of distance and remote
learning (Hobbs, Brown, & Gordon, 2006); 2) facilitation of sharing of information and knowledge 3) enhancement
of learning by doing (Wagner & IP). Virtual worlds provide an online immersive learning environment where
students can participate, explore, interact and have fun and hence construct their own knowledge(Dreher, Reiners,
Dreher, & Dreher, 2009). They allow real time and synchronous communication, active learning, experiential
learning, and cooperative/collaborative learning (Schiller, 2009). In essence, such learning environment is
learner-centered and contextualized compared to the traditional bricks and mortars where students learn passively in
a decontextualized environment (Ellis & Anderson, 2011).
In Taiwan, university students’ linguistic competence, particularly English has long been emphasized. English
Language professionals have endeavored to enhance students’ English language proficiency level by incessantly
trying innovation including technology use such as computer-mediated communication (Huang, 2009) and blog
writing (Ching, 2012). As some of the features in virtual learning environments such as role playing fits with the
instructional strategies of language learning (Penfold, 2009), virtual learning environments can be created and built
to provide an alternative approach to language learning and to meet the needs and characteristics of contemporary
students (Bayne & Ross, 2011).
Vocabulary is essential to foreign language acquisition, yet word gains and lexical development of learners
tend to vary from individual to individual, prompting scholars into considering factors hitherto addressed only
inadequately. These factors range from affectivity, cognitive intensiveness, metacognitive awareness, etymological
knowledge, to contextualisation. Scholars are mostly of the consensus that vocabulary learning is a gradual
accumulative process involving considerable investments of time and efforts and transference from short-term
memory into long-term memory plays a pivotal role in vocabulary learning, While the factors cast new light on the
true nature of vocabulary learning, another emergent question suggests that vocabulary learning should not be
viewed as an individual aspect of language acquisition detached from other aspects, such as phonology, syntax and
morphology. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to create a task-based virtual language learning environment
to assist students in their lexical development in the English for general purposes (EGP) course “English for Daily
Life: Shopping English” .
Literature review
Virtual worlds (VW) are computer-based simulated environments where users can use and create objects and
can interact with one another. In the interactive environments, users take the form of avatars and appear as textual,
two-dimensional, or three-dimensional representations (Wikipedia, 2012). VW provide an online immersive learning
environment where students can participate, explore, interact and have fun and hence construct their own knowledge
(Dreher et al., 2009). Savin-Baden (2010) defines it as “a social medium where informality, ingenuity and wit are
valued” (p.10). As more empirical research studies on the impact of virtual environment on learning are suggested to
be done in higher education(Inman et al., 2010), the value and meaning of virtual world learning environment
should be considered.
The educational advantages and potentials of virtual world learning environments are revealed in various
studies. Ward (2010) designed activities in a virtual world SL with the aim to introduce the concept of avatar-based
marketing and for students to evaluate the potential of SL as a marketing communication tool. Students enjoyed the
new approaches to learning and felt it had aided their understanding. Wang and Braman (2009) proposed that the
immersive nature of virtual environment can provide students a sense of real world experience and it also allows
students to actively explore in understanding the content instead of just listening to the lectures or watching video.
Kalyuga (2007) found that virtual worlds are highly interactive in that learners can experiment, explore, select
personalized task and receive dynamic feedback. Darbey (2011) explores the potential of a VW to support guidance
counselors’ preparation for a Teacher Professional Development (TPD) program. The results of the study
demonstrated that VWs have huge potential for providing TPD and can support an action research approach.
The creative aspects of virtual worlds have a great potential impact on language learning. Virtual worlds offer
students the opportunity to interact in the target language. It can provide authentic context for students to create,
share and develop in their field of study. The explorations of virtual worlds arouse students’ excitement; thus
stimulates students’ motivation in learning, which is quite different from the traditional language learning context
and is meaningful for the contemporary net generation students.
The study
A mixed-method study will be employed. Qualitative data collection will focus on student observation and
focus group interviews whereas quantitative data collection will be collected from the pre-and-post assessment and a
questionnaire survey. The pre-test/post-test non-equivalent experimental control group design will be used to
determine the effectiveness of the DVWE system. Students in the control groups will take the pre-and-post
assessment as well for comparison of the results.
Participants
Participants in this study will include students from the Department of Applied Foreign Languages in a
technological university. Two classes are purposively selected, one of which has approximately 30 gender-matched
students and will be assigned to use the DVWE system created by the university, while the other class will be
considered control group, and will only partake in taking the pre-and-post intervention assessments.
Process of Producing Digital Teaching Materials
In the process of producing digital materials for teaching, there are 8 main steps. First is the concept, or the
main idea, of the lesson. This includes writing the script, identifying the audience, and establishing the need of the
user. Next, the storyboard is set up with visual slides and a written script depicting the story. The third step is
focused on the function, in which the feasibility, function planning, and working schedule are confirmed. The fourth
step is the element in which materials for the lesson plan, plans for the operations, and the user interface are
produced. The fifth step is programming and it includes three sections. First, the art and design department designs
the characters, sets, user interface, and 3D animation. Second, the program development department develops the
system architecture, import component integration, and component control. The third section is the sound and music
creation, which includes the background music and sound effects for the animation. The sixth step in producing
digital materials is the testing phase, followed by the release of the prototype. If any problems are encountered in the
prototype, corrections are made and the prototype is retested again. Lastly, once everything runs smoothly, the
digital course materials are released.
Computer Software Application and Game Development Engine Integration
Graphic design software, such as Adobe Illustrator CS6, Adobe Photoshop CS6, can be used for drawing
objects or materials. The materials can then be imported into Adobe Flash CS6, an animation software, and Action
script 3.0 can be used to write the program code to design an interactive interface for teaching materials. The next
step is to import the materials into Autodesk MAYA, a 3D animation software, to further combine with the action
database to create 3D characters and objects. All the materials can then be imported into Unity 3.5, a game
development engine software.
Results and Discussion
EFL teachers are keenly aware of the fact that words can be best learned when they occur in corresponding
context. DVWE aims to help students learn high-frequency items by seeing and listening to them in meaningful
contexts. While engaged in the virtualized world of DVWE, they experience not only visual but also tactile stimuli
in learning vocabulary. Contextual learning is instrumental for student to internalize syntactic rules and structures.
As students can see words in the dialogues between characters, they can also initiate the parsing process each time
they use DVWE. Their engagement enhances concentration on sentence structures, prompting them into analyzing
elements in the sentence, deciding on their grammatical roles and validity and then reviving their syntactic
knowledge. As words are also played to them, auditory stimuli further help them to consolidate orthographical
knowledge as word forms and their corresponding sound patterns can be cognitively matched.
Conclusion
Contextualized lexical learning benefits students more than decontextualized one in a formal setting. Progress
made can be noted in the aspects of word usage, word retention, syntactic training as well as orthographical
consolidation. Student’s motivation shall be increased by using virtual world language learning. Implications suggest
that the creation of 3-D virtual world－DVWE reveals educational advantages and potential in language learning.
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