CONTEXTUAL EFL LEARNING IN A 3D VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

The purposes of the current study are to develop virtually immersive EFL learning contexts for EFL learners in Taiwan to pre-and review English materials beyond the regular English class schedule. A 2-iteration action research lasting for one semester was conducted to evaluate the effects of virtual contexts on learners' EFL learning. 132 elementary school students participated in this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data, including observation and English learning performances, were collected and analyzed. The positive results obtained from the study approved that the usage of virtual contexts in EFL learning could (1) provide students with learning opportunities without the time and space limits, (2) provide students with a game-liked scenario for English learning, and (3) enhance learners' EFL performances. The learning mode proposed and experiences gained in the current study not only serve as a practical reference to diverse foreign language educational occasions but also add to the knowledge pool of foreign language learning and teaching in virtual worlds.