An 11-week study of 159 Vietnamese undergraduates found the largest English-fluency gains in the explicit-instruction plus VR group, while VR participants also reported greater confidence and transcultural competence.
Key findings
- Explicit instruction plus VR produced the greatest fluency gains. Both VR groups reported improved confidence, skills and transcultural competence. At delayed follow-up, the two VR groups did not differ significantly, although all groups improved and VR conditions remained stronger overall than non-VR instruction.
Why this matters globally
The study adds evidence that virtual language learning needs coordinated activity design, interaction and instructional guidance to sustain gains.
Thai researcher contribution
Burapha University researchers helped develop and evaluate the cross-border instructional model in a Vietnamese learner setting.
Limitations to consider
The study used one institutional context, relied partly on automated speech scoring and self-reports, and the abstract does not report effect sizes. Generalizability to other learners and platforms remains uncertain.