The Effect of the Use of Virtual Reality in Students’ Speaking

Abstract

In today’s era, technology has a pivotal role which affects to the change of the process of students‟ learning. Learning is not only limited by four walls classroom which places the teachers as the main sources for the students. Students in 21st century are more cautious, but not afraid to try new things, Extensive use of some technology, engage in social gaming.

The use of Virtual Actual Reality (VAR) in educational environments is becoming increasingly favored in the recent years.

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In the previous method teacher only explains the material by using traditional media and it made the students bored to learn but nowadays Media technologies can be a tools to increase the students’ motivation. This article provides an overview of relevant research that explores the use of virtual reality learning environments for better learning.

Introduction

In this 21st century learning, many research community has devoted special attention to the use of new technologies in education and the use of Virtual Actual Reality (VAR) in educational environments is becoming increasingly favored in the recent years. Since the traditional method are not so effective used along with the rapid development of technology. The world in 21st century has changed in many aspects of life and life style.

The use of technology in education is developed faster than before presenting situation which helps the students to have new authentic and meaningful learning experiences engaging their effort and behavior by providing more fun and effective learning atmosphere (Fatimah, 2017). Technology, as the newest instructional media developed in this globalization era, presents situation which helps the students to have new authentic and meaningful learning experiences engaging their effort and behavior by providing more fun and effective learning atmosphere, those benefits become the central part of 21st century education which should be optimized in order to create an effective learning.

In today’s era, technology has a pivotal role which affects to the change of the process of students‟ learning. Learning is not only limited by four walls classroom which places the teachers as the main sources for the students. Technology helps the teachers to create innovative teaching strategy by providing interesting activities helping the students improve their competence. Moreover, the students called as Z generation effortlessly update and get the information by the help of technology.

Students in 21st century are more cautious, but not afraid to try new things, Extensive use of some technology, engage in social gaming. It is obvious that thinking about the youth may seem to be a mistake and it does not matter if this group is labelled as Generation X (Coupland, 2007), Generation Y (Tari, 2010), Generation G (www.trendwatching.com) or Generation Z (Tari, 2011). FantaTrendriport 6 focuses on recreational activities. The results of the study reveal that young people spend their free time mostly with some kind of electrical device (FantaTrendriport 6). The rate of computer and Internet users was approximately 90% in 2008 (Ifjúság 2008: 83), which has become almost 100% since then (Csécsi etal., 2012). (Törőcsik Mária, Szűc Krisztián, 2014)

It is important to emphasize that Generation Z is the first global generation in the world (Homo Globalis). They grow up using the same culture, they like mostly the same food, fashion and places. Globalization appears in their language as well because they use words and expressions that the members of other generations do not use and often do not understand (Tari, 2011). They are affected and formed by the same impacts; they may be interconnected on the web and social networks (Mccrindle–Wolfiger, 2010), which is another factor related to globalization.(Jan, 2017)said the students’ skills and knowledge that they require in the 21st century. The long experience of teachers with traditional mode of learning, it is challenging to embed technology in teaching learning process.

Nowadays it is very easy to find so many educational applications provided on internet which give the opportunities to make interaction between students and teacher in virtual classroom and increase their motivation to learn. In this study, several applications helping the teachers give instruction to the students are investigated. Those media, Prezi as online software presentation, Glogster as visual online poster, Edmodo as online networking application, Toondoo as online cartoon strip making and Goanimate as animated video creation, are known as web-based instructional media provided on internet.

One of the most challenging language skills for learners is speaking. One of the possible reasons is that speaking requires high and complex skills, not just conveying ideas verbally. Shumin (2002) argued that speaking a foreign language requires high complex skills.

There are several aspect that can effect students’ speaking skill in EFL country they are the learning environment (lecturers, peers, and topics of speaking modules), and practicing the language (self-practice, practicing the language with tutors and peers, practicing the language with media and technology, and maintaining a positive motivation). Research on students’ skill speaking English in a non-English speaking country such as Indonesia is limited because of several aspects. Here the study want to know the increase of students speaking when the process of learning having new innovations.

And the newest media that we can used nowadays to provide students with virtual classroom and help they increase their speaking is VR. Virtual reality (VR) is the recondite solution for creating authentic language learning environment in EFL countries for several reasons. The reason are, it could stimulate the authentic foreign environment to the target country.

Also, an entertainment nature of VR could possibly encouragement the learners‟ motivation of learning. What is more, VR could minimize the costs for transporting the learners to the real language environment, such as going to live in an English speaking country. Amber etal. (2013) indicated that virtual reality allowed users observing the virtual world from any aspects, and any objects in the virtual world could interact with the users. VR could modify the environment for language learning, removing the irrelevant details and enlarging the positive elements for language teaching (Chen & Chen, 2016).

In the study conducted by María Blanca Ibáñez and her colleagues (2014, p. 1), she assess an AR application to learn the basic concepts of electromagnetism. The research questions they tried to answer with their research were about the state of flow, the challenge-skill perception, the learning outcomes, the perceived benefits and difficulties of using an AR application to learn the mentioned discipline. (Curcio, Dipace, & Norlund, 2017).

Research Design Development

Research design

In order to get the descriptions of experiences of the persons under study requires careful data gathering and data analysis. The writer held Pre-test and Post-test in order to get the data. This study was conducted in one senior high school in UBUD Bali. This study involved 30 students in 10th grade students.

Data collection & Data Analysis

The data were collected from a Speaking test. The result of speaking test was analyzed with SPSS in terms of descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings and Discussion

Findings

After collecting the data, the result of speaking test was analyzed descriptively and the result of the analysis can be seen in Table 1

Table 3 Descriptive Analysis

Pretest M= 72.17 SD= 8.06

Posttest M= 77.50 SD= 7.74

Source: data analysis SPSS 24, December 26,2018

From table 3, it can be seen that the speaking test after the treatment or after the use of VR in classroom was conducted is higher than the speaking test before the classroom learning using VR was conducted (80 > 75). To find out whether there is a significant mean difference, a paired sample t test was conducted. The result is shown in Table 2

Table 4 Paired sample t test

Df t Sig. (2-tailed) 29 -16.000.000

A significant mean difference is achieved if the value of Sig (2-tailed) is lower than .05. From Table 2 the value of sig. (2-tailed) is .000. Which means there is a significant mean difference. A further effect size test was conducted to find out the level of significance. The result of effect size can be seen in Table 4

Table 4 Effect Size Test

Cohen d = 0.67

The result of effect size test showed that the effect of VR on students’ speaking is in the level of medium. This result can be said to be high but still exists due to some factors. This indicated that there is another factor that influences speaking besides VR.

Technology has captured the interest of children and adults alike, and this engagement is capitalized on by using it as a medium of instruction for most disciplines (Alsulami, 2016). Furthermore, Media technology becomes importand to use in order to face and handle the characteristics of students in today‟s era. It is undeniably proven that students in 21st century have different characteristics with the students coming from the previous era. Students called as millennial generations prefer to use technology for everything they do including the proses of their learning. The findings indicated that all of themes and sub-themes appeared to be intricately interrelated.

In this section the writer’s findings show that there are several themes found from the use of technologies nowadays, they are:

• Media technologies can produce better learning experience

In order to produce better learning experience for the students we can use technology as instructional media. In the previous method teacher only explains the material by using traditional media and it made the students bored to learn. Costley (2014) argues that technology is a powerful contributor to learning if it is used to deepen students‟ engagement in meaningful and intellectually authentic curriculum.

• Media technologies can improve students’ creativity

Using technology encourages the students to improve their creativity

• Media technologies can increase the students’ motivation
• Make students feel the real situation or authentic material also real life classroom environment

Discussions

Preparing students ready to face 21st century education is an important thing that we must do. Student teachers are necessary to have knowledge and experience in relation to the use of technology which cannot be separated from education in 21st century. In order to face 21st century education, students in this study are prepared with the theories and practice or media of the use of many kind of technologies to prepare their teaching in the future. (Marzban & Alinejad, 2014) .

The purpose of the research is based on see the situation that happened in the 21st century students are very close to technology and they use technology almost every time. So this study aims to find out whether their proximity to technology makes them interested in learning if technology itself is associated with their learning? Is the effect of using VR as one of the newest technologies in learning for students is effective? Whether the effect is good or even not good.

The result of the data analysis (there is a significant mean difference in terms of learning capacity increase found in students’ speaking (Sig. 0.000). this indicated that using Virtual Reality can involves a safe and supportive environment to transfer knowledge between virtual and real worlds . The result of effect size test showed a High level of significance. Brief results (that there are positive results regarding student perceptions using VR in a classroom environment) according to (Jeffs, nd) Virtual environments that allow learning to have control over the learning process (Pantelidis, 1993). ) also agreed that VR is effective in making the classroom environment more engaging student learning interests. Repeat what you find

References

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