Research has played a critical role in the development of IMMERSE’s platform, curriculum, and teaching approach. We ensure that the Product and Education decisions we make are research-backed, and we continuously test the effectiveness of our educational offerings through third-party, unbiased, external research studies.
We achieve this primarily through partnering with expert researchers from universities around the world who independently conduct studies measuring how Immerse impacts language learning. Since 2019, we have partnered with 35+ researchers specializing in the science of VR for language learning.
IMMERSE’s university partners carry out research studies aimed at understanding the extent to which VR can improve various aspects of the language learning process.
These studies have helped us answer a wide range of research questions such as:
- How much can VR improve students’ speaking and fluency skills?
- Does VR help students learn vocabulary faster and better retain new information?
- Which features of IMMERSEs AI-powered avatars increase learning the most?
The answers to these types of questions help us understand how to maximize the effectiveness of IMMERSE so learners reach fluency faster.
Major Findings From Research on IMMERSE
Five years of research by our university partners show IMMERSE improves both the results and the experience of learning a language.
Improved Learning Results
IMMERSE Significantly Improves Speaking Skills
A number of studies have measured the effect of IMMERSE on fluency. The findings are consistent: learners significantly improve their speaking fluency as a result of using IMMERSE, and they do so faster than with traditional classroom learning.
Here are some of the specific results of studies showing the impact of IMMERSE on learners’ fluency:
- Learners improved speaking abilities 9x more in IMMERSE than with traditional methods. Participants’ TOEIC speaking scores increased on average by more than 100 points in a 4 month period in one study, an astonishing improvement. With traditional classroom learning, it takes students 3 years on average to increase their score by 56 points (Aoyama Gaukin University).
- 99% of learners said IMMERSE helped them improve their English speaking skills. In fact, participants reported personal improvement in their speaking abilities in several studies (Chuo University and Nihon University).
- Learners improved their English scores by 133%. After just four weeks in IMMERSE, participants’ scores increased dramatically on tests of several skills, including conversation completion (Kyung Hee University).
- Employees increased the amount of time they spent speaking English by 2.75x. Throughout an 8-week period using IMMERSE, employees at major Japanese education company Benesse spoke English 24% more each week, a significant increase (Benesse).
- Learners improved TOEIC speaking scores by 13% in just 4 hours. After 4 hours of using IMMERSE, participants saw a significant improvement in their TOEIC speaking scores. This was true for both VR headset users and those who learned via computer (Chuo University).
- Learners significantly improved their speaking skills. Vocabulary improved by 39%, grammar by 31%, fluency by 25% and pronunciation by 8% after 6 lessons in IMMERSE (Purdue University).
- Learners felt ready to transfer communication skills to real-life situations. Learners reported confidence that IMMERSE prepared them to communicate in English in the real world. They considered practicing in such a realistic environment a rehearsal for future real-life experiences (Kyung Hee University).
- Learners produced higher level language while in IMMERSE. Two studies showed that English learners conversed at a higher level (B1-B2 CEFR) in IMMERSE, compared to comparable classroom activities (A1-A2 CEFR) (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Autonomous University of Barcelona and Autonomous University of Barcelona).
IMMERSE Also Significantly Improves Comprehension Skills
Language learners must also be able to understand what they are hearing and reading. One study examined IMMERSE’s impact on learners’ listening and reading comprehension:
- Learners’s comprehension skills improved significantly. After lessons in IMMERSE, participants’ scores on standardized tests of listening and reading improved significantly. In fact, their listening comprehension improved by 21% after just 3 hours in IMMERSE (Aoyama Gakuin University).
IMMERSE Helps Students Learn and Remember New Vocabulary Quickly
Vocabulary knowledge is essential for successful communication.
Our partners have hypothesized that IMMERSE is an ideal environment for learning vocabulary since learners interact with the scenes and objects as they learn new words. Their research findings support this argument.
- Learners increased vocabulary scores by 69% after just one session. They acquired and retained the new words regardless of whether they accessed IMMERSE via a computer or VR headset, showing that both modalities help students learn vocabulary (University of North Texas).
- Learners picked up extra vocabulary naturally through context. Participants not only learned the vocabulary explicitly taught to them in IMMERSE, they also learned new words incidentally due to the immersion setting (the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Autonomous University of Barcelona).
- Learners were able to easily practice spatial terms, such as “here” and “there.” Being in able to move around in IMMERSE’s virtual spaces gave learners the opportunity to practice spatial indexicals that reflected their positioning in the environment (Kyung Hee University).
- Learners reported they remembered new words and knowledge better. Multiple studies found that IMMERSE provided highly contextualized and memorable learning experiences (Nihon University, the University of Sheffield, Kanda University of International Studies, and the University of Manchester).
IMMERSE Trains Learners to Collaborate in English
- Group interactions were more natural. Using IMMERSE for online, remote class sessions had a positive impact on group interactions. Speaking activities were more natural and efficient and had a better pace (International House Manchester).
- Participants preferred learning in IMMERSE because it provided more realistic English-speaking contexts. In IMMERSE, they had more natural interactions, more opportunities to speak, and more detailed, authentic exchanges about topics relevant to their daily lives (Kyung Hee University).
- Learners worked together better in English. IMMERSE improved participants’ collaborations by allowing them to work together in a shared, realistic environment. The VR environments and objects made communicating easier and improved learners’ higher thinking skills (Chuo University).
- IMMERSE facilitated spoken collaboration about real-world tasks. It improved learners’ mediation strategies through verbal and non-verbal facilitation of peer interactions, meaning-making, and interaction management (University of Venice).
- IMMERSE’s environments served as a catalyst for initiating and sustaining learners’ interactions. Learners frequently incorporated relevant objects and visuals from the surrounding context into their conversations (Kyung Hee University).
Improved Learning Experience
How IMMERSE Benefits Emotional Aspects of Language Learning
Successful language learning hinges on more than just intellectual and cognitive effort. Emotional and psychological factors can also make or break a learner’s success.
IMMERSE alleviates foreign language anxiety
Research on language learning has consistently shown that foreign language anxiety is a major hindrance to language learning success. Anxious learners avoid speaking because they are afraid of making mistakes, yet without speaking practice they cannot develop fluency.
Thankfully though, our research partners have shown that IMMERSE can significantly lower the amount of foreign language anxiety that learners experience. In IMMERSE, users are represented by avatars which add a layer of anonymity to the learning experience and ultimately reduce anxiety.
- 99% of learners report lower foreign language anxiety after just two hours of learning in IMMERSE (Chuo University).
- 92% of learners were less anxious when speaking with IMMERSE AI-powered avatars (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California at Santa-Barbara, University of North Texas).
- 86% of employees say that IMMERSE made them more confident to use English at work (Microsoft Korea)
- Using avatars reduced students’ anxiety by 11% (Chuo University).
- IMMERSE improved self-confidence, motivation, willingness to communicate, and attitudes towards English (Nihon University, Aoyama Gakuin University, the University of Sheffield).
IMMERSE boosts engagement and motivation to learn
Engagement and motivation are key factors in the success of language learners. Learners who become bored, discouraged, or frustrated will not invest the hundreds of hours necessary to reach fluency.
IMMERSE reduces this problem by providing active, rewarding learning experiences that increase learners’ proficiency after every learning experience.
- 94% of learners thought IMMERSE offered an active, engaging learning experience (Purdue University).
- Learners were engaged for 97.5% of the time they spent in IMMERSE. Students’ engagement during lessons was analyzed and it was found that they were actively learning for 97.5% of the lesson. Most of this active time (79%) involved interacting with other learners and objects in the scene (Kyung Hee University).
- 100% of employees enjoyed learning English through IMMERSE’s realistic, interactive environments. 71% of employees also stated that they would take another VR English course (Microsoft Korea).
- 97.5% of students enjoyed that they were able to interact with objects and their peers while learning in IMMERSE. A collaborative study by three universities surveyed over 100 participants and found that students responded positively to the interactive and social experience IMMERSE provides (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of North Texas, University of California at Santa-Barbara).
- IMMERSE increased learner motivation, particularly for those who were unmotivated to learn initially (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Autonomous University of Barcelona).
- IMMERSE boosts engagement through experiential learning (International University of Rome and Kyung Hee University).
- Participants said that IMMERSE boosted their enjoyment, motivation, and confidence while learning English (Nihon University).
- Hands-on manipulation of virtual objects led to more engaged and dynamic interactions. It provided concrete context for language use and led to more meaningful actions which facilitated authentic communication (Kyung Hee University).
One of the key affordances of IMMERSE is the degree of immersion that language learners experience while in the platform. Indeed, high immersion leads to an increased sense of presence, or the feeling that one is actually inside a VR environment. In their research, our partners found that this sense of realism and embodiment improved learners’ focus on learning and using the language. Specifically:
- 70% of students reported that VR helps them fully focus on learning by removing external distractions (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of North Texas, and University of California at Santa-Barbara), a finding supported by additional research (The University of Manchester).
- IMMERSE fully immerses learners in an embodied learning experience. Learners are able to move through different environments and interact with objects and others in them which facilitates focus, learning, and retention (Kyung Hee University).
- Using avatars made practice conversations meaningful. Learners using IMMERSE reported that being represented by avatars enhanced the realism of their interactions, which led to them speaking more (The University of Manchester).
IMMERSE Research Partnerships
As explained in How Our Research Partners Inform Product Development at IMMERSE, over the years IMMERSE has built a network of university research partners who are all passionate about understanding the how and why behind VR for language learning. These partners have been involved at all stages of IMMERSE’s development – from the very beginning when our CEO Quinn Taber founded IMMERSE and our partners were helping him better understand the learning science behind VR language learning, until now when they are conducting efficacy studies explicitly measuring the extent to which our English, Spanish, and French programs improve learning outcomes.
The way these partnerships work is simple. Depending on our current research needs, we will connect with relevant researchers in the field. For example, if we are interested in learning more about how our AI role plays impact learning, we will reach out and discuss research possibilities with a researcher who is an expert in AI and who is interested in partnering with us. Once we find a research question that is of mutual interest to both parties, we give the researcher and their participants access to IMMERSE for the duration of their study. The researcher then works independently to conduct their research study and keeps IMMERSE up to date on relevant findings as they emerge. They also disseminate their findings via conferences and peer-reviewed publications, which helps to further establish IMMERSE as a leader in the VR language learning space.
These partnerships are mutually beneficial. IMMERSE benefits from having some of the most brilliant minds in the field giving us insights into what we are already doing well and what we could tweak to create an even more effective learning experience. In exchange, researchers gain free access to our extensive VR language platform where they can delve deeply into their research questions about the impact of virtual reality on language learning outcomes.
And since research partners work on their projects independently, we are able to have multiple studies underway simultaneously and gather a lot of research insights quickly.
Our partners have conducted a wealth of research on a variety of topics that can be broadly classified into three main stages: (1) how various affordances, or features of IMMERSE benefit learning; (2) how learning in IMMERSE is beneficial for affective factors (e.g., anxiety, confidence); and (3) how IMMERSE improves language skills (e.g., speaking, vocabulary retention, etc).
Conclusion
Extensive research by IMMERSE’s university partners has repeatedly demonstrated the unusual effectiveness of our platform in bringing language learners to fluency through effective, engaging language learning experiences. In addition, these research partnerships allow us to continually validate our new features and provide us with empirical evidence that IMMERSE helps learners acquire languages faster and more effectively than traditional learning methods.
To read more about the role our Research Partners play in IMMERSE:
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