Abstract
The use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) has become more common and educators recognized the potential of VLEs as educational environments. The learning community in VLEs can be a mixture of people from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds. However, despite many studies about the use of virtual environments for learning, there has been little research on the perspectives of both instructors and students from different cultural backgrounds toward using a VLE. Thus, to gain insight into both instructors’ and students’ perspectives with different cultural backgrounds toward using a VLE, this paper conducted a qualitative exploratory case study. For more interactive learning, the VLE of the study was designed in Second Life which is one of the 3D VLEs and equipped with screen sharing software. In addition, one facilitator provided the technical and language translation support throughout the research process. Then, this paper also endeavored to determine educational implications of this new approach based on its findings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ally, M. (2004). Foundations of educational theory for online learning. Theory and Practice of Online Learning, 2, 15–44.
Arya, A., Hartwick, P., Graham, S., & Nowlan, N. (2011). Virtual space as a learning environment: Two case studies. In International education technology conference’dasunulmuşbildiri, Istanbul, Turkey.
Avatar (2015). In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved August, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avatar.
Bailey, F., & Moar, M. (2001). The Vertex Project: Children creating and populating 3D virtual worlds. Journal of Art & Design Education, 20(1), 19–30.
Baker, S. C., Wentz, R. K., & Woods, M. M. (2009). Using virtual worlds in education: Second Life as an educational tool. Teaching of Psychology, 36(1), 59–64.
Banks, J. A. (2002). An introduction to multicultural education. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Blignaut, S., & Nagel, L. (2009). Cousins Virtual Jane and Virtual Joe, extraordinary virtual helpers. Computers & Education, 53(1), 104–111.
Bower, M. (2011). Synchronous collaboration competencies in web-conferencing environments: Their impact on the learning process. Distance Education, 32(1), 63–83.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning and Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council.
Brislin, R. W., Bochner, S., & Lonner, W. J. (Eds.). (1975). Cross-cultural perspectives on learning. New York: Wiley.
Bronack, S., Riedl, R., &Tashner, J. (2005). Teaching in 3D: Developing learning communities in a multi-user virtual environment. In Society for information technology & teacher education international conference (vol. 2005, no. 1, pp. 2166–2170).
Bronack, S., Riedl, R., & Tashner, J. (2006). Learning in the zone: A social constructivist framework for distance education in a 3-dimensional virtual world. Interactive Learning Environments, 14(3), 219–232.
Bruner, J. S. (1996). The culture of education. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Chang, L., Mak, M. C., Li, T., Wu, B. P., Chen, B. B., & Lu, H. J. (2011). Cultural adaptations to environmental variability: An evolutionary account of East–West differences. Educational Psychology Review, 23(1), 99–129.
Cheong, D. (2010). The effects of practice teaching sessions in Second Life on the change in pre-service teachers’ teaching efficacy. Computers & Education, 55(2), 868–880.
Cho, Y. H., Kim, M. H., & Hwang, J. S. (2014). A case study on 3D virtual role play for improving problem solving skills of elementary school pre-service teachers. Journal of Educational Technology, 30(1), 45–75.
Ciaramitaro, B. L. (2008). The blue book: A consumer guide to virtual worlds. In B. L. Ciaramitaro (Ed.), Virtual Worlds and e-Commerce: Technnologies and applications for building customer relationships (4th ed.). Ponte Verda Beach, FL: Association of Virtual Worlds.
Cochran-Smith, M. (2001). Sticks, stones, and ideology: The discourse reform in teacher education. Education Researcher, 30(8), 3–18.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Cunningham, J. M. (2015). Mechanizing people and pedagogy: Establishing social presence in the online classroom. Online Learning, 19(3), 34–47.
Dalgarno, B., & Lee, M. J. (2010). What are the learning affordances of 3-D virtual environments? British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 10–32.
de Freitas, S. (2006). Learning in immersive worlds: A review of game-based learning. Bristol, England: JISC. Retrieved August 6, 2008, from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearninginnovation/gamingreport_v3.pdf.
de Freitas, S. (2008). Serious virtual worlds: A scoping study. Bristol, England: JISC. Retrieved February 4, 2009, from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/seriousvirtualworldsv1.pdf.
De Lucia, A., Francese, R., Passero, I., & Tortora, G. (2009). Development and evaluation of a virtual campus on Second Life: The case of SecondDMI. Computers & Education, 52(1), 220–233.
Degen, T., Absalom, D., & Australia, C. (1998). Teaching across cultures: Considerations for Western EFL teachers in China. Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics, 3, 117–132.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Handbook of qualitative research. London: Sage.
Dickey, M. D. (2005). Three-dimensional virtual worlds and distance learning: two case studies of Active Worlds as a medium for distance education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(3), 439–451.
Edirisingha, P., Nie, M., Pluciennik, M., & Young, R. (2009). Socialisation for learning at a distance in a 3-D multi-user virtual environment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(3), 458–479.
Erez, M., Lisak, A., Harush, R., Glikson, E., Nouri, R., & Shokef, E. (2013). Going global: Developing management students’ cultural intelligence and global identity in culturally diverse virtual teams. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(3), 330–355.
Flick, U. (2002). An introduction to qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2004). Five misunderstandings about case-study research. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. Gubrium, & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative research practice (pp. 309–404). London: Sage.
Gerhard, M., Moore, D., & Hobbs, D. (2004). Embodiment and copresence in collaborative interfaces. Human-Computer Studies, 61(4), 453–480.
Grant, S., & Huang, H. (2010). The integration of an online 3D virtual learning environment into formal classroom-based undergraduate Chinese language and culture curriculum. Journal of Technology and Chinese Language Teaching, 1(1), 2–13.
Gustafson, P., & Gibbs, D. (2000). Guiding or hiding? The role of the facilitator in online teaching and learning. Teaching Education, 11(2), 195–210.
Henderson, M., Huang, H., Grant, S., & Henderson, L. (2009). Language acquisition in Second Life: Improving self-efficacy beliefs. Same Places, Different Spaces. Proceedings Ascilite Auckland, 2009, 464–474.
Hew, K. F., & Cheung, W. S. (2010). Use of three-dimensional (3-D) immersive virtual worlds in K-12 and higher education settings: A review of the research. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 33–55.
Howard, T. C. (2003). Culturally relevant pedagogy: Ingredients for critical teacher reflection. Theory into Practice, 42(3), 195–202.
Hylton, M. E. (2007). Facilitating online learning communities: A comparison of two discussion facilitation techniques. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 25(4), 63–78.
Inman, C., Wright, V. H., & Hartman, J. A. (2010). Use of Second Life in K-12 and higher education: A review of research. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9, 44–63.
Jarmon, L., Traphagan, T., & Mayrath, M. (2008). Understanding project-based learning in Second Life with a pedagogy, training, and assessment trio. Educational Media International, 45(3), 157–176.
Jones, I. M. (2011). Can you see me now? Defining teaching presence in the online classroom through building a learning community. Journal of Legal Studies Education, 28(1), 67–116.
Jones, J. G., Morales, C., & Knezek, G. A. (2005). 3-Dimensional online learning environments: examining attitudes toward information technology between students in Internet-based 3-dimensional and face-to-face classroom instruction. Educational Media International, 42(3), 219–236.
Joy, S., & Kolb, D. A. (2009). Are there cultural differences in learning style? International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33(1), 69–85.
Lam, C. C., & Lidstone, J. (2007). Teachers’ cultural differences: case studies of geography teachers in Brisbane, Changchun and Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Education Review, 8(2), 178–193.
Lee, K. H. (2010). A Study on the activation of mathematical creativity education for education of private education (unpublished master dissertation). Seoul: Ewha Women University.
Lee, J. E. R. (2014). Does virtual diversity matter?: Effects of avatar-based diversity representation on willingness to express offline racial identity and avatar customization. Computers in Human Behavior, 36, 190–197.
Lee, E., & Bertera, E. (2007). Teaching diversity by using instructional technology: Application of self-efficacy and cultural competence. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, 1(2), 112–125.
Livonen, M., Sonnenwald, D. H., Parma, M., & Poole-Kober, E. (1998). Analyzing and understanding cultural differences: Experiences from education in library and information studies. In Proceedings of the 64th IFLA General Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Maratou, V., Chatzidaki, E., & Xenos, M. (2014). Enhance learning on software project management through a role-play game in a virtual world. Interactive Learning Environments, 22(4), 1–19.
Merchant, Z., Goetz, E. T., Cifuentes, L., Keeney-Kennicutt, W., & Davis, T. J. (2014). Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students’ learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 70, 29–40.
Miller, M. G., Knowles, M., & Grieshaber, S. (2011). Cultural support workers and long day care services. The Australian Educational Researcher, 38(3), 275–291.
Morrison, L., Kamps, D., Garcia, J., & Parker, D. (2001). Peer mediation and monitoring strategies to improve initiations and social skills for students with autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 3(4), 237.
Myers, M. A., & Reed, K. D. (2008). The virtual ICU (vICU): A new dimension for critical care nursing practice. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 20(4), 435–439.
New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (2007).The horizon report: 2007 edition. Retrieved September 27, 2008, from http://www.nmc.org/publications/2007-horizon-report.
Nguyen, P. M., Terlouw, C., & Pilot, A. (2006). Culturally appropriate pedagogy: the case of group learning in a Confucian Heritage Culture context. Intercultural Education, 17(1), 1–19.
Ondrejka, C. (2008). Education unleashed: Participatory culture, education, and innovation in Second Life. In K. Salen (Ed.), The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (pp. 229–252). Cambridge: MIT Press.
Oterholm, I. (2009). Online critical reflection in social work education: Kritiskrefleksjonpånetti sosialarbeiderutdanningen. European Journal of Social Work, 12(3), 363–375.
Park, C. S. (2006). A study on the improvement of corporal punishment for students (unpublished Master dissertation). Daegu, Korea: Daegu Education University.
Patricia, M. (1997). Culture as process: Empirical methods for cultural psychology. Handbook of Cross-Cultural Psychology: Theory and Method, 1, 301.
Peterson, M. (2006). Learner interaction management in an avatar and chat-based virtual world. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 19(1), 79–103.
Rogers, L. (2008). Virtual worlds: A new window to healthcare education. In Hello! Where are you in the landscape of educational technology? Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008.
Salt, B., Atkins, C., & Blackall, L. (2008). Engaging with Second Life: Real education in a virtual world. Retrieved June, 17, 2009.
Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & Jain, N. C. (1981). Understanding intercultural communication. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Simpson, S. T. (2010). Western EFL teachers and East–West classroom-culture conflicts. RELC Journal, 39(3), 381–394.
Sleeter, C. E. (2011). An agenda to strengthen culturally responsive pedagogy. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 10(2), 7–23.
Stanko, T. L., & Gibson, C. B. (2009). The role of cultural elements in virtual teams. In R. S. Bhaght & R. M. Steers (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of culture organizations and work (pp. 273–304). Cambridge: University Press.
Tarnopolsky, O. (2000). EFL teaching and EFL teachers in the global expansion of English. Working Papers in Educational Linguistics, 16(2), 25–42.
Taylor, T. L. (2001). Living digitally: Embodiment in virtual worlds. In R. Schroeder (Ed.), The social life of avatars: Presence and interaction in shared virtual environments (pp. 40–62). London: Springer.
Tella, S. (1996). Foreign languages and modern technology: Harmony or hell? In M. Warschauer (Ed.), Telecollaboration in foreign language learning (pp. 3–18). Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai’i, Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center.
Tweed, R. G., & Lehman, D. R. (2002). Learning considered within a cultural context: Confucian and Socratic approaches. American Psychologist, 57(2), 89.
von der Emde, S., Schneider, J., & Kötter, M. (2001). Technically speaking: Transforming language learning through virtual learning environments (MOOs). Modern Language Journal, 85, 210–225.
Ware, P. D., & Kramsch, C. (2005). Toward an intercultural stance: Teaching German and English through telecollaboration. The Modern Language Journal, 89(2), 190–205.
Wresch, W., Arbaugh, J. B., & Rebstock, M. (2005). International online management education courses: A study of participation patterns. The Internet and Higher Education, 8(2), 131–144.
Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods third edition (Applied social research methods). Washington, DC: Sage Publications, Inc.
Zigurs, I. (2003). Leadership in virtual teams: Oxymoron or opportunity? Organizational Dynamics, 31, 339–351.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by Konkuk University in 2013 (grant number 2013-A019-0165).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lim, K., Kim, M.H. A case study of the experiences of instructors and students in a virtual learning environment (VLE) with different cultural backgrounds. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 16, 613–626 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-015-9400-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-015-9400-y