The Impact of Watching Subtitled Video Clips in Immersive Virtual Reality on Vocabulary Acquisition in University Saudi EFL Learners

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the impact of viewing subtitled videos in High-immersion Virtual Reality compared to Low-immersion Virtual Reality on vocabulary acquisition among 31 Saudi Arabian university students at the University of Bisha in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Vocabulary acquisition was assessed via a pre-test and an immediate post-test after the intervention. The results obtained suggest that the experimental group outperformed the control group marginally. The discussion sheds light on some interesting observations related to the mechanisms by which the participants in the experimental group acquired new vocabulary. This study was guided by the theory of embodied cognition and attempted to highlight some effects that may be attributed to embodiment. The implications of embodied cognition in Virtual Reality Assisted Language Learning could be paramount to our current understanding of vocabulary acquisition.