2021
Authors
Pinto, RD; Peixoto, B; Melo, M; Cabral, L; Bessa, M;
Publication
EDUCATION SCIENCES
Abstract
Virtual reality has shown to have great potential as an educational tool when it comes to new learning methods. With the growth and dissemination of this technology, there is a massive opportunity for teachers to add this technology to their methods of teaching a second/foreign language, since students keep showing a growing interest in new technologies. This systematic review of empirical research aims at understanding whether the use of gaming strategies in virtual reality is beneficial for the learning of a second/foreign language or not. Results show that more than half of the articles proved that virtual reality technologies with gaming strategies can be used to learn a foreign language. It was also found that "learning" was the most evaluated dependent variable among the chosen records, augmented reality was the leading technology used, primary education and lower secondary was the most researched school stages, and the most used language to evaluate the use of gamified technology was by far the English language. Given the lack of directed investigation, it is recommended to use these technologies to support second language learning and not entirely replace traditional approaches. A research agenda is also proposed by the authors.
2021
Authors
Goncalves, G; Monteiro, P; Coelho, H; Melo, M; Bessa, M;
Publication
IEEE ACCESS
Abstract
Proper evaluation of realism in immersive virtual experiences is crucial to ensure optimisation of resources. This way, we can take better decisions while designing realistic immersive experiences, prioritising factors that have a higher impact on the perceived realism of the virtual experience. This systematic review aims to provide readers with an overview of methodologies used throughout the literature to evaluate realism in immersive virtual, augmented and mixed reality. A total of 79 from 1300 gathered articles met the eligibility criteria and were analysed. Results have shown that virtual reality is by far the platform where realism studies were performed. Head-mounted displays are by far the preferred equipment for such studies. Visual realism is the most researched, followed by audiovisual. The majority of methodologies consisted of subjective, as well as a combination of objective and subjective measures. The most used evaluation instrument is questionnaires where many of which are custom and non-validated. Presence questionnaires are the most used ones and are often used to evaluate the presence, perceived realism and involvement. Cybersickness evaluation is consistently assessed by one self-report questionnaire.
2021
Authors
Vasconcelos Raposo, J; Melo, M; Barbosa, L; Teixeira, C; Cabral, L; Bessa, M;
Publication
BEHAVIOUR & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Abstract
Virtual Reality applications have the goal of transporting their users to a given virtual environment (VE). Thus, Presence is a consensual metric for evaluating the VEs' effectiveness. The present study adapts the Presence Questionnaire (PQ) for the Portuguese-speaking population, maintaining the validity of the contents and concepts, to ascertain the psychometric properties of the instrument.The adaptation to Portuguese was achieved through the standard adaptation process of translation and back-translation process. The sample consisted of 451 individuals (268 males and 183 females). Factor reliability ranged from 0.63 to 0.86. Confirmatory factor analysis produced a theoretical model of 21 items distributed among seven factors, where the covariance between some residual item errors was established. The fit indices obtained were , GFI , CFI , RMSEA , P [RMSEA ], MECVI . Results obtained allowed us to consider that the adapted Portuguese version of the PQ, with 21 items, forms a robust and valid questionnaire whose use is recommended to evaluate Presence in virtual reality research programmes, provided that they use samples of the Portuguese language (Europe).
2021
Authors
Pinto, RD; Monteiro, P; Melo, M; Cabral, L; Bessa, M;
Publication
International Conference on Graphics and Interaction, ICGI 2021, Porto, Portugal, November 4-5, 2021
Abstract
Previous works have shown the great potential of Virtual Reality (VR) in the area of Education. This paper studies if users can learn a second language when using a gamified VR application through an English learning test and how learning influences user satisfaction, sense of presence, cybersickness, and quality of experience through questionnaires. For this purpose, the VirtualeaRn game was developed. 20 Portuguese participants were exposed to the application, and the learning test was used before and after using the application. Result analysis shows an increase in learning results after using the VR gamified application, indicating the technology's efficacy in learning a second language. A positive user satisfaction, sense of presence, and quality of experience were also found. Some cases of cybersickness were reported. The outcomes are promising and provide enough information to show the potential of the gamification of VR technology for the area of learning a second language.
2021
Authors
Peixoto, B; Melo, M; Cabral, L; Bessa, M;
Publication
International Conference on Graphics and Interaction, ICGI 2021, Porto, Portugal, November 4-5, 2021
Abstract
Virtual Reality (VR) has been showing potential in new and diverse areas, notably in education. However, there is a lack of studies in the Foreign Language Teaching and Learning field, particularly in listening comprehension. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of avatar animations and lip synchronization, and user interaction; features deemed relevant in this broader area. A sociodemographic, a quick CEFR-Common European Framework of Reference for Languages-15-minute English test, and questionnaire were used to evaluate the participants' Presence, Quality of Experience, Cybersickness and Knowledge Retention. Results show that, overall, the use of avatars with realistic animations and movements, and featuring lip synchronization have a positive influence on the users' sense of presence, knowledge retention and a more enjoyable overall quality of experience. The same can be said for the use of object interaction and navigation in the cultural representative environment, which had an overall positive impact.
2021
Authors
Melo, M; Gonçalves, G; Narciso, D; Bessa, M;
Publication
International Conference on Graphics and Interaction, ICGI 2021, Porto, Portugal, November 4-5, 2021
Abstract
Several factors have been identified to contribute to the sense of presence and cybersickness, including the preponderance users have in the virtual environments (VE) and their gender. This work focuses on studying the Role Type and gender in a VE and their impact on the sense of presence and cybersickness when immersive Virtual Reality (VR) setups are used. For this, a set of psychophysical experiments were conducted to evaluate a VR scenario with three Role Types: Viewer, Explorer, and Searcher. Results revealed statistically significant differences in Spatial Presence, Cybersickness, Nausea, Oculomotor Discomfort, and Disorientation for Role Type. In the evaluated scenario, it was observed that a more dominant Role Type on the VE leads to a higher reported spatial presence (sense of physically being present in the VE) and higher cybersickness scores. We conclude that a higher relevance of the Role Type makes the users more sensitive to the stimuli present in the VE regarding the coherency of the interaction/simulation and, consequently, more prone to develop cybersickness symptoms. No differences were found between the genders.
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