Piloting Virtual Reality Photo-Based Tours among Students of a Filipino Language Class: A Case of Emergency Remote Teaching in Japan

TL;DR

This study explores the use of virtual reality photo-based tours to teach Filipino vocabulary to Japanese students during emergency remote teaching in Japan, highlighting benefits like engagement and perceived learning despite challenges.

Contribution

It demonstrates how immersive VR technology can enhance remote language learning by increasing engagement and perceived learning during emergency remote teaching scenarios.

Findings

VR immersion levels did not significantly affect satisfaction

Presence and satisfaction were positively correlated

Students reported enjoyment, increased engagement, and perceived learning

Abstract

The State of Emergency declaration in Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected many aspects of society in the country, much like the rest of the world. One sector that felt its disruptive impact was education. As educational institutions raced to implement emergency remote teaching (ERT) to continue providing the learning needs of students, some have opened to innovative interventions. This paper describes a case of ERT where Filipino vocabulary was taught to a class of Japanese students taking Philippine Studies in a Japanese university using a cognitive innovation based on virtual reality, an immer-sive technology often researched for immersion and presence. Students were divided into three groups to experience six lessons designed around virtual reality photo-based tours at different immersion levels. While the effect of immersion on satisfaction was not found to be statistically significant, presence and satisfaction were found to be correlated. Despite challenges that were encountered, benefits like enjoyment, increased engagement , and perceived learning were reported by the students. Our findings exemplify how emerging multisensory technologies can be used to enhance affective and cognitive dimensions of human experience while responding to gaps created by the spatial limitations of remote learning.