Learning Interaction in an Avatar-based Virtual Environment: a Preliminary Study

Advances in network technologies have resulted in the emergence of virtual worlds designed to facilitate synchronous communication between users. Of the many network technologies now being utilized in computer-assisted language learning (CALL), immersive virtual environments appear to hold great potential as learning tools. This paper reports the findings of a preliminary study on non-native speaker (NNS) interaction in the avatar-based Active Worlds 3D virtual environment. The researcher observed that in the initial phases of their interaction, the subjects made use of the communication features of their avatars. Moreover, this study found that when managing their discourse the participants adopted a number of interactional and transactional strategies that have been identified in the literature on computer-mediated communication (CMC) as playing an important role in facilitating interaction in online environments. The discussion concludes with some suggestions for future research.