Incorporating a VR experience in the EFL classroom: teaching the events of the 5th of November

Περίληψη

Teaching English as a foreign language can be a delicate process that can easily be bettered through the
use of educational technologies, which can assist in turning the lesson into a cross-curricular experience
with multiple benefits. This paper presents a study that explores the use of a virtual environment as a
pedagogical tool to teach the historical events surrounding the 5th of November to secondary education
students and to learn English as a foreign language. The study aims to investigate the impact of the virtual
prototype on student engagement and motivation, as well as the potential benefits for their acquisition
and retention of the historical knowledge and related vocabulary. The study methodology involves a preand post-assessment of student knowledge and attitudes through the use of two questionnaires,
conducted with a sample group of 12 secondary education students. The results of the study
demonstrated a significant increase in student engagement and motivation following the implementation
of the prototype, while their historical knowledge and the related vocabulary items were significantly
increased after the participants’ exposure to the prototype. The study's findings highlight the importance
of incorporating interactive and immersive elements in educational interventions to enhance student
engagement, motivation and information retention.