Experiencing student learning and tourism training in a 3D virtual world: An exploratory study

The virtual world of Second Life presents an opportunity to be an optimal educational platform by providing real-world simulations, social interactions, and collaborative spaces. Educators in travel and tourism fields have also begun to explore the potential of virtual learning in Second Life and take advantage of as effective virtual environment to obtain best results in the learning process. The main goal of the present study is to develop a research framework identifying the factors affecting student learning experience within a 3D virtual world by examining he applicability of the Self-Determination Theory and the construct of positive emotions. The data collection was conducted in April, 2011. The participants were recruited from an introductory PRTM course and a tourism marketing class in the Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism Management at a University in the Southeast region of the United States. From a theoretical point of view, this study represents an empirical application of self-determination theory that is a theoretical and practical framework to examine how the satisfaction of the psychological needs of autonomy and relatedness in a 3D virtual world context makes a contribution to intrinsic motivation. Additionally, the present study explores the role and significance of positive emotion in the context of virtual learning. For tourism educators, this study can be applied to build the connection between tourism education and virtual worlds in the development of how to construct engaging and interactive learning experiences to meet the expectations of learners. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.