Some people believe that immersive virtual reality (VR) and, by extension, the metaverse, will become integral parts of daily life. There have also been suggestions that the metaverse could become a virtual world where language learners have alternate identities as second language (L2) speakers. Considering the potential implications of immersive…

In the virtual realm, also referred to as the metaverse, users generally communicate using avatars. This metaverse is viewed as a prospective tool in different industry types, and in this regard, researchers have examined its significance in education owing to its increasing reach. In fact, it has been widely accepted that Information System (IS)…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by a reduced ability to appropriately express social greetings. Studies have indicated that individuals with ASD might not recognize the crucial nonverbal cues that usually aid social interaction. Social reciprocity depends on the ability to empathize with others, to be aware of emotional and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation of different variables with information retention in guided 3D virtual learning environments by employing three experimental designs. In each experiments, different participants were included in the same population and different variables were considered. Information retention test, flow,…

Using OpenSimulator, we constructed a 3D virtual playground that affords competition-themed social gaming, role-play gaming and design-themed architectural gaming among high-functioning autistic (HFA) children. A mixed-method, multi-case study was conducted to examine the association between the game task and setting features, learners'…

The current study attempts to investigate the potential benefit of using a custom-designed virtual reality experience to reduce the social distance between the students and the speakers of the target language. This virtual reality experience provides opportunities for students to acclimate to the Spanish culture and at the same time practice and…

Background: Videogames and virtual worlds have frequently been studied as learning environments in isolation; that is, scholars have focused on understanding the features of games or virtual worlds as separate from or different than "real world" environments for learning. Although more recently, scholars have explored the teaching and…

This article addresses the need for changes in current views on adolescent development. It presents observations of adolescent behavior in the online game Dragon Nest that were conducted by specialists from the Crossroads Center for Social and Psychological Adaptation and Adolescent Development, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education,…

Although research has indicated that augmented reality (AR)-facilitated instruction improves learning performance, further investigation of the usefulness of AR from a psychological perspective has been recommended. Researchers consider presence a major psychological effect when users are immersed in virtual reality environments. However, most…

Background: Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) have the potential to support sociocommunicative interactions for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but little is known about the sense of presence participants feel in CVEs or how CVEs can be used to assess skills. Method: Ten children with ASD and 10 typically developing (TD)…

The emergent phenomena of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality is having an impact on ways people communicate with technology and with each other. Schools and higher education institutions are embracing these emerging technologies and implementing them at a rapid pace. The challenge, however, is to identify well-defined problems…

This article contributes to thinking about collaboration in classroom/virtual environments by considering how children (aged 10-11) engage in the process of "being together" at the interface of the physical and virtual. It argues that, if educators are to develop effective pedagogies that capitalise on opportunities for collaborative and…

Basic social interaction and executing certain tasks can be difficult for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The symptoms of such behaviour include inappropriate gestures, body language and facial expressions, lack of interest in certain tasks, cognitive disability in coordination of limbs, and a difficulty in comprehending tasks'…

This article presents a process-oriented mixed-method study, focusing on the emergence of second language (L2) critical thinking (CT) skills in the collaborative discourse produced by a focal group of five college-level students of French working in a virtual language learning environment (the VLLE Cinet Second Life). Levels of CT ability were…

The main objective of this paper is to analyse the effect of the affordances of a virtual learning environment and a personal learning environment (PLE) in the configuration of the students' personal networks in a higher education context. The results are discussed in light of the adaptation of the students to the learning network made up by two…