ACTIVE LEARNING VIA VIRTUAL REALITY TO ENHANCE ENGLISH COMMUNICATION COMPETENCY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/tisr.2026.15Keywords:
Active Learning Management, Virtual Reality Environment, English Communication Competency, Educational Innovation, VRChatAbstract
This quasi-experimental research investigates the effectiveness of integrating active learning within a virtual reality environment, specifically VRChat, to sustainably enhance the English communication competency of higher education students. Employing a one-group pretest-posttest experimental design, the empirical study involved 53 undergraduate students from Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi, carefully selected through purposive sampling. The primary research instruments comprised a 40-item English communication competency test and a 20-item satisfaction questionnaire. Data were rigorously analyzed using descriptive statistics and Paired-Samples t-tests. Findings reveal a highly significant improvement in students' English communication achievement, with the post-test mean score of 26.79 substantially exceeding the pre-test mean score of 17.17 at the .001 statistical significance level. Furthermore, overall student satisfaction with this immersive active learning approach was remarkably high. The study conclusively demonstrates that simulated virtual environments provide a safe, highly engaging space that effectively reduces communication anxiety, serving as a highly practical educational innovation.
Downloads
References
Academic and Registration Affairs Office. (2024). Course report (TQF 5) for English for communication, academic year 2024. Ayutthaya: Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi.
Best, J. (1977). Research in education (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Bonwell, C., & Eison, J. (1991). Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. Washington, D.C.: George Washington University.
Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1-47.
Cedar, P., & Jaiyote, S. (2024). English-speaking anxiety among second- and fourth-year Thai university English majors. Journal of Community Development Research (Humanities and Social Sciences), 17(4), 78-94.
Charoenwong, Z., Keskomon, T., & Tamsat, A. (2018). Virtual classroom in teaching and learning for nursing students in digital age. Journal of The Royal Thai Army Nurses, 19(2), 120-128.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research Methods in Education (8th ed.). London: Routledge.
Dolgunsoz, E., Yildirim, G., & Yildirim, S. (2018). The effect of virtual reality on EFL Writing Performance. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 14(1), 278-292.
Education First. (2021). EF English Proficiency Index: A Ranking of 112 Countries and Regions by English Skills. Retrieved from www.ef.com/assetscdn/WIBIwq6RdJvcD9bc8RMd/cefcom-epi-site/reports/2021/ef-epi-2021-english.pdf.
Huang, X. (2024). The Impact of Virtual Reality Technology in Improving English Language Proficiency. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences, 9(1), 1-17.
Huang, X., Zhao, Q., Liu, Y., Harris, D., & Shawler, M. (2024). Learning in an Immersive VR Environment: Role of Learner Characteristics and Relations Between Learning and Psychological Outcomes. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 53(1), 3-29.
Jeong, J., & Jeong, H. (2021). Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality English Conversations on Language Anxiety and Learning Achievement. The Journal of the Korea Contents Association, 21(1), 321-332.
Lan, Y. (2020). Immersion, interaction and experience-oriented learning: Bringing virtual reality into FL learning. Language Learning & Technology, 24(1), 1-15.
Lou, Y. (2025). The impact of virtual reality environments on English language acquisition: Innovative immersive learning technologies for communication skills development. Journal of Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering, 25(5), 4616-4632.
Lutfi, N., Sunardi, A., Utami, A., & Nafiah, R. (2025). Integrating Virtual Reality Into English language instruction: Assessing efficacy and student motivation. Journal on Education, 7(2), 10975-10989.
Nunan, D. (2010). Task-based language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Phongphiphat, S., & Kloumsri, J. (2022). A Study of English Learning Achievement of 4th year Students, Phetchaburi Rajabhat University through E-learning: DynEd. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Review, 24(2), 7-14.
Phulthong, W., Sonthirak, T., & Kasemchok, K. (2024). Competency based Assessment Language using the CEFR for Teaching and Learning Contexts in Thailand. Journal of the Association of Researchers, 29(4), 14-30.
Prayoonwong, C. (2019). Digital Learning: Learning English in the Digital World of the 21st Century. Journal of Graduate Studies Valaya Alongkron Rajabhat University, 13(1), 210-223.
Richards, J. (2006). Communicative language teaching today. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sornsiriwong, P. (2021). Virtual classroom. Journal of Education, Silpakorn University, 19(2), 81-93.
Srisa-ard, B. (2017). Introduction to research (10th ed.). Bangkok: Suwiriyasan.
Weimer, M. (2013). Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Tossaporn DITSIRI, Paiboon NASUMRAN, Ziwapon CHAROENWONG

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.





