The affordances of virtual worlds for language learning

Abstract

The attraction towards immersive virtuality is rooted in human history and is deeply connected to our imaginative world. Recent technology has added a further dimension to this human trait, giving us access to immersive three-dimensional computer-based environments, Virtual Worlds that have opened a new space, rich in potential for interaction and socialisation. In the past decade Virtual Worlds (VWs) have become more commonly used for socialising, gaming, commercial ventures and for educational purposes. Language educators and researchers have also begun exploring and studying these environments and their unique set of features for foreign language (FL) learning. This study aims to provide a contribution to the field of research on the potential of VWs for education, with a particular interest on the affordances that these environments can offer for FL teaching and learning. The study is the result of an analysis of the transcripts of the in-world video recordings of SLitaliano, an Italian language and culture course designed and held by the researcher/teacher in the VW of Second Life®. The course was attended by the researcher’s students of Italian as a FL, who took part in nine in-world sessions and performed a number of language tasks. Drawing on an activity theory framework and on the construct of affordance, each language task was chosen as a unit of analysis and instances of disruption to the task were identified. An in-depth analysis of the cause of the disruptions in each episode and of the actions taken by the participants to resolve the disruption, provide an insight into the participants’ role, their use of the medium at their disposal and its technical and social affordances. Finally, the research highlights the emergence of social and technical affordances of the medium as affordances that may support FL learning