Author(s)

Xiaoli Gan ¹, Ronghui Gan ², Rongfen Wen ², Gaoda He ³

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Economics and Trade, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou, China
² School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Guangdong University of Finance, Guangzhou, China
³ School of Foreign Studies, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China

Corresponding Author

Ronghui Gan

ABSTRACT

Extended reality (XR) technologies (VR/AR/MR) have propelled a paradigm shift in the field of ESL teaching and learning. This study summarizes the evidence and development of XR games in ESL instruction in Chinese Mainland and reveals its overview and development trends and research implication. This paper presents a holistic review and analyses 17 articles published between 2013 and 2023 that are indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. XR-powered game-based language learning was mostly applied at the tertiary education. They primarily focused on vocabulary, followed by general English, writing. Papers reviewed focused on AR than VR or MR. Concerning sample size, 8 articles reviewed reported large. The review unravels the trends, gaming characteristics and game engines of contemporary XR games. AR and VR technologies assisted language learning mainly by immersing learners in a virtual world with 3D images, videos and games. Terminal equipment, portable or mobile devices, tablets and computers are most widely used devices to augment a real environment. All the studies were identified to be self-developed to explore the design and development of XR-supported game-based learning environments. OpenSimulator, Unity 3D, ARIS, Java 1.7, Android SDK, Wikitude SDK, JigSpace, 3ds Max software are common game engines. The results reveal that integrating XR games benefited English learners in terms of cooperation, motivation, enthusiasm, engagement, immersion and presence, and the development of four English language skills and knowledge. Research recommendation for implementing XR games in ESL instruction for institutions, researchers, and educators is also discussed.

KEYWORDS

ESL Instruction, Systematic Review, XR Games

CITE THIS PAPER

Xiaoli Gan, Ronghui Gan, Rongfen Wen, Gaoda He, Exploring XR Games in English Instruction: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies. Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology (2024) Vol. 8: 23-34. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/aetp.2024.080604.

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