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Fostering student autonomy in English learning through creations in a 3D virtual world

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Abstract

The importance of learner autonomy has been researched for at least two decades. However, it has been critiqued that most research mainly focused on theoretical explanations and was based on anecdotal evidence (Dalgarno and Lee in Br J Educ Technol 41(1):10–32, 2010; Hew and Brush in Educ Technol Res Dev 55(3):223–252, 2007). Therefore, this study aims to explore how learner autonomy is influenced by new technologies (a 3D virtual learning platform: Build & Show, B&S) through a case study with a quasi-experimental design. 29 fifth graders participated in this study for 4 months. Research data include the questionnaire on students’ autonomy, the four-month none-participant classroom observation, the feedback of participating students and teachers, and an analysis of videos created by the students. The findings include (1) a rich description of the process of students’ creations in B&S and of the uses of B&S in English classes; and (2) an analysis of the students’ self-assessment of learner autonomy supported with the qualitative data. Based on these results, the possible approaches to improving learner autonomy in a 3D virtual world have been discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the reviewers and editors for their valuable comments and suggestions for improving this article. We also thank the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, R.O.C., under Grant Nos. MOST 105-2511-S-003-018-MY3 and MOST 106-2511-S-003-015-MY3 for financially supporting this research.

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  1. Department of Chinese as a Second Language, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Sec. 1, Ho-Ping E. Rd, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yi-Lien Yeh & Yu-Ju Lan

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  1. Yi-Lien Yeh
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Correspondence to Yu-Ju Lan.

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Yeh, YL., Lan, YJ. Fostering student autonomy in English learning through creations in a 3D virtual world. Education Tech Research Dev 66, 693–708 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-017-9566-6

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