This paper is part 5 of a series of workshops that examines the properties of some simple models of vocabulary networks. While previous workshops dealt with activating words in the network, this workshop focuses on vocabulary loss. We will simulate two possible ways of modelling attrition: (a) explicitly turning active words OFF, and (b) raising…

The present investigation aimed to assess the use of scaffolding strategies by young English as a second language learners who carried out communicative tasks in the context of high-immersive virtual reality (HVR) (Kaplan-Rakowski & Gruber, 2019). More specifically, 24 students enrolled in an intensive program in the province of Quebec,…

Many studies have examined the factors that influence second language interaction, such as task type and communication mode, i.e., face-to-face and computer-mediated communication through online mode. However, there is a paucity of research that has investigated the effects of task type on negotiation of meaning (NoM), a specific type of…

The use of three-dimensional virtual worlds (3DVWs) in language education has been widely acknowledged in the field, and researchers have expressed a growing interest in their proliferation in second language (L2) learning and instruction. In order to improve the Thai-speaking abilities of learners of Thai as a foreign language (TFL) in three…

This study investigated negotiations for meaning as conditions for second language (L2) learning in the context of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft (WoW) (Blizzard Entertainment, 2004). Varonis and Gass's (1985) and Smith's (2003a) models were used to identify negotiation episodes during on-task and off-task…

Social Virtual Reality (VR) applications enable real-time interpersonal conversation and allow users to perform activities together. They have the potential of changing the ways learners practise speaking a foreign language. Following a previous study (Jauregi Ondarra, Gruber, & Canto, 2020), we designed the present study to explore how…

This article presents on a multi-institution project that explains the design and development of Virtual Tabadul, an Arabic and English foreign language exchange program amongst 1,200 U.S. and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) college-aged youth. The program involves faculty, staff, and students at four institutions: Florida International…

This paper is a quantitative study about learners' engagement and self-efficacy within a Virtual Reality (VR) learning environment while studying vocabulary in English in a classroom implementing a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. VR was used as a tool for students to learn and better understand specific concepts studied…

This study explored the effect of differing levels of interactivity in a VR language learning system on learner oral task performance. 30 participants were divided into 15 pairs which undertook two spot-the-difference tasks. One in a static-VR system, the other in an interactive-VR system which required them to move objects into the correct…

Prior research on pre-task planning examines its effects on the quality of second language (L2) learners' planned output. Planning mitigates the cognitive overload placed upon L2 learners' oral performance, thus improving language production. Despite the pedagogical benefits, studies on pre-task planning on L2 learners' oral output are conducted…

Computer-mediated communication tools facilitate international collaboration projects between foreign language learners and peers abroad (O'Dowd, 2018). Social Virtual Reality (VR) applications allow for synchronous interactions and task-based communication in which learners can experience telepresence and immersion and conversate in a foreign…

The aim of this study is to compare how two different Virtual Exchanges (VE) contribute to language learning in a Japanese university context. Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) using VE has been a focus in this study. There are huge advantages of using technology in language teaching such as increasing language use opportunities, feedback, and…

This exploratory study investigated the usability of immersive virtual reality (VR) as a way of creating a role-play task to examine pragmatic competence, specifically the ability to produce the speech act of request. The study created a closed role-play task in two versions. One was a standard computer-based version in which participants read a…

In this microanalytical study, designed as part of an interdisciplinary and intercultural virtual exchange project for undergraduate students, the authors investigate the correlation between task design on the one hand and participant interaction during task performance on the other. The task created for this study consisted of 12 low-frequency…

This study aims to investigate the influence of story creation on young EFL learners' reading performance. Action research was adopted to examine the effects of two different story reading projects in a library setting in Taiwan. Each project comprised a group of 19 young EFL learner from Grades 4 to 6 (aged 10-12). The first group's activities…