Virtual reality-assisted language learning: A follow-up review (2018-2022)

Virtual reality (VR) is considered an emerging technology in language education in a previously published review article, which reviews 26 articles on VR-assisted language learning (VRALL) published between 2015 and 2018. VR technology has been developing rapidly and receiving much more attention in language learning, especially in the post-pandemic era. Therefore, following up, this paper tracks the new trends of VRALL by reviewing 38 empirical studies published between 2018 and 2022. The main findings are: (1) the scope of research on VRALL has expanded in terms of number of studies, type of participants, research focus, language and language skill, and type of VR technology investigated; (2) more cognitive and affective benefits as well as drawbacks of VRALL have been reported than before. Implications are drawn for practitioners and researchers in the field of VRALL.