An exploration of preservice teachers’ use of immersive VR to design English lessons

Although the number of studies investigating the use of immersive VR (iVR) for language learning is rapidly rising, only a few studies have examined how teachers learn to incorporate iVR into their lesson planning, and how they can take advantage of the unique affordances of the medium to aid language learning. This article reports on how 50 preservice teachers implemented an iVR app in their EFL lessons for elementary school students, the ways in which they focused on the specific affordances of presence and agency in their lesson plans and teaching videos, and their perceptions of teaching and learning in iVR as revealed in questionnaires and interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed, with the results showing that although they encountered challenges, preservice teachers successfully utilized iVR to design their English lessons, which included multiple narratives, plots, social roles and social interactions for fulfilling various learning purposes. Preservice teachers also positively evaluated the use of iVR in both teaching and learning, leading to the conclusion that with sufficient teacher training in both teaching with iVR and guiding learners to use iVR, preservice teachers can effectively incorporate the two key affordances of presence and agency in their iVR lessons, despite the steep learning curve.