Encompassing English Language Learners in Virtual Reality

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to drastically alter the future landscape of education. Immersion can be a powerful educational tool, yet it can create isolation issues if user needs are not thoroughly considered. For this reason, designers, educators, and researchers will need to address accessibility issues for the technology to be adopted into mainstream classroom use. English language learners (ELLs) are a relevant user group to study in this regard, as they are largely underserved within the educational technology space, and their usage of these immersive VR tools can highlight both positive and negative aspects of the experience that developers can use to improve their applications.