Application of Knowledge Graphs on the Gathertown Platform for Enhancing Cross-Cultural Competence in University EFL Education

The study explores the application of knowledge graph-based learning in the Gathertown platform to increase learners' engagement, interactivity, and cross-cultural comprehension in a university-level English course. Over 16 weeks, 50 learners interacted with a Neo4j knowledge graph that culturally framed concepts, values, and non-verbal communication systemically. The course applied interactivity through quizzes, discussions, and role-playing to facilitate cooperative learning. There were 15-20 sub-nodes provided in every session, which added to the satisfactory learning experience with interactivity and constructive feedback. However, there were some abstract nodes indicating a lack of sufficient resources to facilitate comprehension. The findings validate the feasibility of integrating knowledge graphs and virtual reality learning spaces to better facilitate cross-cultural education and show promise for this model to be scaled up for future class use.