Outcomes of VR, AR and MR Technologies in K-12 Language Education: A Review

Abstract

Since the 21st century, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies have been increasingly used in the field of language education to promote student motivation, engagement, and so on. This paper reviews the results of 180 reviews of empirical studies on the use of VR, AR, and MR to enhance K-12 teaching or learning from 2012 to 2022 and summarizes the trends. Based on Bloom’s classification theory of instructional goals, namely Cognitive Goals, Affective Goals, and Behavioral Goals, the outcomes of 53 papers are summarized and analyzed from these three dimensions to find the function of VR, AR, and MR in K-12 Language Education, which can improve literacy, creative thinking, communication, collaboration, confidence, participation, and enjoyment in the digital era. And it also promotes self-learning, enables multisensory learning, and reduces cognitive load. Despite the technological complexity and problems associated with the use of AR in education, VR, AR, and MR applications can successfully improve language learning. Compared with previous research approaches, this study first constructs a VR, AR, and MR-supported learning model based on their characteristics respectively and the relevance of these technologies.