Combining immersive virtual reality with CLIL and TPR to enhance English as foreign language learners’ language acquisition

This research examined the possibility of using Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR), Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), and Total Physical Response (TPR) as a new method of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. This study sought to explore the potential benefits of this integration of methodologies in order to facilitate students’ language learning experience through the use of interactive, context-embedded activities. It was a quasi-experimental design with a population of 130 elementary students divided into an experimental group, which used the IVR-based method, and a control group, which used the traditional approach. It turns out that the experimental group of students acquired significantly more vocabulary and sentences than the control group. The integration of IVR with CLIL and TPR creates a multisensory learning environment and increases the retention and understanding of a language. This study shows that IVR could be utilized as a language-learning tool. This paper proposes a theoretical model created using Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and Embodied Cognition Theory to help explain this approach's cognitive benefits. More research should focus on long-term effects and generalizability to other educational environments (IVR).