An experimental study on reading in high‐immersion virtual reality

Abstract High‐immersion virtual reality (VR) is an increasingly valued environment for language learners. Although reading constitutes a core language skill, practicing reading in VR has received little attention. In this between‐subject, quantitative study, 79 intermediate learners of English at a German university were randomly assigned to view an interactive, multimedia‐rich story under two conditions. In the experimental condition, subjects (the VR group) experienced the story using a high‐immersion VR headset. In the comparison condition, subjects (the video group) watched a video recording (ie, screencast) of the same VR experience. In both conditions, the story was presented using identical captions in English, which served as the reading comprehension text. In addition to measuring the impact of VR on reading comprehension, validated questionnaires yielded data on the subjects' intrinsic motivation, sense of presence and cognitive load. The analysis produced several findings. First, t ‐tests revealed the VR group was associated with statistically significantly higher reading comprehension scores compared with the video group ( p = 0.03). Second, Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests showed that the VR treatment elicited statistically significantly higher levels of motivation ( p ≤ 0.0001) and sense of presence ( p ≤ 0.0001). Cognitive load was not significantly different between the groups ( p = 0.22). Our main implication is that VR can be beneficial for reading practice. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic High‐immersion virtual reality (VR) is engaging and motivational. Engaging students to practice reading is important. Research on practicing reading in VR has received little attention. What this paper adds It examines the effectiveness of using VR for practicing reading. It shows that VR enhances motivation and the sense of presence when reading. Students report equal levels of cognitive load while reading subtitles in VR and reading subtitles in videos. Implications for practice and/or policy Our main implication is that VR can be beneficial for reading practice. VR could be used as a motivational tool to engage students in reading activities.