Interactive Language Learning through Speech-Enabled Virtual Scenarios

This paper describes the evaluation of an educational game designed to give learners of foreign languages the opportunity to practice their spoken language skills. Within the speech interactive Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) program, scenarios are presented in which learners interact wit...

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Main Authors: Hazel Morton, Nancie Gunson, Mervyn Jack
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:Advances in Human-Computer Interaction
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/389523
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author Hazel Morton
Nancie Gunson
Mervyn Jack
author_facet Hazel Morton
Nancie Gunson
Mervyn Jack
author_sort Hazel Morton
collection DOAJ
description This paper describes the evaluation of an educational game designed to give learners of foreign languages the opportunity to practice their spoken language skills. Within the speech interactive Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) program, scenarios are presented in which learners interact with virtual characters in the target language using speech recognition technology. Two types of interactive scenarios with virtual characters are presented as part of the game: the one-to-one scenarios which take the form of practice question and answer scenarios where the learner interacts with one virtual character and the interactive scenario which is an immersive contextualised scenario where the learner interacts with two or more virtual characters within the scene to complete a (task-based) communicative goal. The study presented here compares learners’ subjective attitudes towards the different scenarios. In addition, the study investigates the performance of the speech recognition component in this game. Forty-eight students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) took part in the evaluation. Results indicate that learners’ subjective ratings for the contextualised interactive scenario are higher than for the one-to-one, practice scenarios. In addition, recognition performance was better for these interactive scenarios.
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spelling doaj-art-b260e1aa4f4a4e4f8ea593bb46b2c39d2025-08-20T02:23:11ZengWileyAdvances in Human-Computer Interaction1687-58931687-59072012-01-01201210.1155/2012/389523389523Interactive Language Learning through Speech-Enabled Virtual ScenariosHazel Morton0Nancie Gunson1Mervyn Jack2Centre for Communication Interface Research, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UKCentre for Communication Interface Research, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UKCentre for Communication Interface Research, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UKThis paper describes the evaluation of an educational game designed to give learners of foreign languages the opportunity to practice their spoken language skills. Within the speech interactive Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) program, scenarios are presented in which learners interact with virtual characters in the target language using speech recognition technology. Two types of interactive scenarios with virtual characters are presented as part of the game: the one-to-one scenarios which take the form of practice question and answer scenarios where the learner interacts with one virtual character and the interactive scenario which is an immersive contextualised scenario where the learner interacts with two or more virtual characters within the scene to complete a (task-based) communicative goal. The study presented here compares learners’ subjective attitudes towards the different scenarios. In addition, the study investigates the performance of the speech recognition component in this game. Forty-eight students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) took part in the evaluation. Results indicate that learners’ subjective ratings for the contextualised interactive scenario are higher than for the one-to-one, practice scenarios. In addition, recognition performance was better for these interactive scenarios.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/389523
spellingShingle Hazel Morton
Nancie Gunson
Mervyn Jack
Interactive Language Learning through Speech-Enabled Virtual Scenarios
Advances in Human-Computer Interaction
title Interactive Language Learning through Speech-Enabled Virtual Scenarios
title_full Interactive Language Learning through Speech-Enabled Virtual Scenarios
title_fullStr Interactive Language Learning through Speech-Enabled Virtual Scenarios
title_full_unstemmed Interactive Language Learning through Speech-Enabled Virtual Scenarios
title_short Interactive Language Learning through Speech-Enabled Virtual Scenarios
title_sort interactive language learning through speech enabled virtual scenarios
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/389523
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