Using Virtual Reality to Test Academic Listening Proficiency

Abstract

Lee, Areum. 2019. Using virtual reality to test academic listening proficiency. Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics 19-4, 688-712. This study examines the validity of a virtual reality (VR) listening test in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. While a VR listening test has the possibility of being a more valid listening test than other listening test formats, its effectiveness has not yet been tested. This study compared test-takers’ performance from the VR test against that of an audio test and a video test. A total of 54 Korean EFL university students participated. Due to the small number of participants, the test scores of the three different test modes were analyzed using a nonparametric Friedman test and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Differences in test-takers’ performance were not statistically significant between the VR and the video groups, but were statistically significant between these two groups and the audio group. Specifically, the VR group demonstrated a better ability to search for detailed information than the audio group. In general, participants in the VR listening test responded positively to the test, situating VR as useful for listening assessments.