In this episode Dr Zavaleta speaks with Dr Elizabeth Enkin about using virtual reality as a tool for language learning. Join us to hear research using virtual reality to help students speak in the target language whilst reducing feelings of anxiety, even using virtual sculpture making as a way of facilitating target language use.

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Follow Dr Zavaleta on twitter: @dr_klzavaleta

Or get in touch with her via email: kaitlyn.zavaleta@dmu.ac.uk   

The Language Scientists Podcast website: languagescientists.our.dmu.ac.uk  

Link to our research lab: sites.google.com/view/languagelab-dmu

Follow Dr Enkin's department at @UNLModLang

Or contact her via email: eenkin@unl.edu  

Link to book chapter mentioned in the Podcast https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352798940_The_Smart_Language_Lab_Building_and_Integrating_Emerging_Technology_into_Language_Programs

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

If you have a connection to languages, this is the podcast for you. Whether you're a language learner, a language teacher, a language researcher, or anybody who's interested in languages. I'm Dr. Kaitlyn Zavaleta and alongside Dr. Marie-Josee Bisson. We are the language scientists and this is our podcast. We're senior lecturers in psychology at De Montfort University, and we conduct research into the area of language learning. Throughout this series, we hope to translate the science behind language learning into informative and useful practical advice. So whether you're a language learner, teacher, researcher or enthusiast, sit back and enjoy. And today on our podcast, we have Dr. Elizabeth Enkin. So welcome, Liz.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Hi. Thank you so much for having me. This is awesome.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

So Liz is a, let me get this right, an associate professor of Spanish Applied Linguistics, which tells you a little bit about her varied background. Liz has her undergraduate degree in Spanish with an education minor. Her first masters is in Spanish and applied linguistics. The second one is in second language acquisition and teaching, and the Ph.D. is also in second language acquisition and teaching. And Liz focuses on pedagogy. So Liz and I know each other from our grad school days at the University of Arizona.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

And we were both working in Dr. Janet Nichols lab, the psycholinguistics lab at U of A. So we have Janet to thank for today's guest.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes. Me and Kaitlyn do you go back. We were lab mates and we did a really cool eye tracking study together. And, you know, we manage the undergraduate TAS, so we, we had a lot of fun in that lab and being colleagues and yeah, it was just a really wonderful experience too, because we were so young and still getting used to doing research and just having that experience together and in the lab and having that camaraderie was just amazing. So it's so great to be on your podcast now.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Yay, no, it was really great.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

So like Liz to tell everybody here, Liz was the kind of like the guru of knowing the tech. I feel like Liz does a great job of getting herself into the complicated research tech. And I say this with admiration, and like figuring it out to find a really interesting way of addressing the research question at hand. Now, Liz is another really great example of yet another person who is bilingual in there. I want to say real life, their personal life. Right. And then takes it into the professional field. Liz, can you tell us a little bit about your language background?

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Oh, 100%. Thank you for asking. I love talking about this. So, so I grew up speaking Russian, so I call myself a heritage speaker because, you know, I would say native, but definitely heritage speaker, you know, like home language. And I, I spoke Russian before I spoke English. I spoke Russian only. And up until I believe like kindergarten, I remember because in pre-school I didn't really understand much. I kind of remember like a teacher giving me like a graham cracker and me being like, I don't know how to say this in English, but so I do remember not knowing how to speak in English. But then in kindergarten I just kind of picked it up. And ever since then, you know, I've kind of called myself a heritage speaker of Russian because I think that's the best way to describe it. I can't read or write, so I'm very heritage. But yeah, so I learned well, I guess I acquired English in like kindergarten and then yeah. And then I started learning Spanish and it was required for us to take a language course i believe I started in seventh grade. And so I chose Spanish because where I grew up there was a huge Spanish speaking population and I was just really interested in learning a language. And as soon as I started learning Spanish, I was like, Oh wow, this is really cool because, you know, I was one of the only people in my class that actually spoke another language at home. And so I kind of felt like, I don't know how to say this, but almost on a level playing field with everybody, because we were all like learning a language together and I kind of felt at home like that. And, you know, and some of the words were very similar to, like, Russian, you know? And so I kind of felt and, you know, some kind of connection there. And I really, like, fell in love with the language itself. And I hate to say this, but like verb conjugations, verb conjugations were really fun for me. I don't know why it was very logical. There was something about it. I can't explain it, but it made sense.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

I love that your your point is that you enjoyed learning Spanish because it felt like you were on an even playing field. Just like,

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

I've been through this learning thing and now we can do it all together as a group. And this is familiar to me.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

It felt like belonging somewhere, you know what I mean? Because, you know, maybe I don't know. You know, like school is very difficult for everyone and it's difficult to fit in in general. And so it just made me feel so much better in that moment. So I'm really appreciative to that.

Yeah.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Yeah, I think that's a great point. So, okay, you are a multilingual, we can say trilingual truly, because you you still teach in Spanish.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes, yes, I teach. Yes. I've been teaching in Spanish. So I never like taught Russian. I never did anything with Russian, like academic. It was always Spanish. So I started in undergraduate, actually. I started being a TA in my last two years, which is a really I mean, you know, I was like one of, you know, X amount of majors. I was selected to be a teaching assistant and a true one. You know, I would really help out, but I was allowed to teach some classes on my own and I really started like learning how to teach a language. So yeah, I started teaching languages like very early. And then I, when I entered graduate school, I taught like beginner and intermediate Spanish up until I got this job, which is, you know, like a tenure track job. And then I started teaching advanced level Spanish. So right now I taught at writing course. And then currently I teach an introduction to linguistics course in Spanish, which is yeah. So it's really cool because, you know, I'm teaching linguistics, but I'm also teaching in Spanish and Spanish, so it's a very cool experience. I love that class. And then at the graduate level, I actually teach all of our graduate students. So we have programs in German, French and Spanish. And I've taught the language teaching methods course for ten years. And I also teach a curriculum design and language program direction course, which I've also published about that course in foreign language. And also I think it's a really great professional development class for students. So so yeah, I'm kind of kind of doing that.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

I think it's really interesting to use your learning language that you've learned in your workplace. So I mean, like to get to that level of proficiency, you know what I mean? And yeah, to use it like that.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes. I always like, you know, I think we always feel like impostors. I feel like you're like, oh, you know.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

You're trying to attain that native like fluency.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes, exactly. You know, and there is, of course, that debate of like, you know, is that even A is that attainable? And, B, do you do you even want that to be the goal? So so but I guess, you know. Yes, I guess I guess I have a high proficiency, but I don't, you know, maybe think I do all the time.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

The language imposter syndrome,

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

It's it's a thing. We all go through it.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Yeah. So you have this experience with language learning and language teaching. What about language research? I mean, you how did you get into choosing to do the research side of things?

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

That's a really great question. I had to actually like think myself when when you know, when we were talking about this before, I'm like, how did I get into this? And I think for me, I think like what happened was, was I went in as a Spanish undergraduate major, you know, and I was like, okay, I really want to teach because that's how I wanted to apply my my language degree. And so we had to take this like, I guess it's a crossover class and this is like way back in the day, but we had to take this like crossover language teaching methods course essentially at the undergraduate level to know how to teach. But in, in that course, we learned about like the Vygotsky theory, you know, input like all of the, like applied linguistics part of linguistics really, and like specifically like language teaching, the language teaching component. And I got really fascinated with that. I just thought it was like the coolest thing that we were born with a language acquisition device. And I was like, wow, like this is, you know, like because I also had like a background, a little bit of a background in psych psychology. Like I took AP Psych in high school and then obviously I had to take a bunch of psychology courses for my education minor. And so it was kind of like the marriage of the two, like, like the, like psychology behind language learning and teaching and then like the Spanish part of it, you know what I mean? Like the content, the language itself. And so that just really interested me. And so when I graduated, you know, I had a choice. I was either going to be a high school teacher because that's what I train as and do my practicum and go on with that. Or I would go to grad school. So I feel like grad school just had my heart, I guess. I don't know, you know.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Good, I'm glad.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes, it just had my heart. I was so interested in learning more about the processes behind language learning and teaching and also the pedagogical steps, you know what I mean? Like how to actually teach languages and also how to develop curricula. Like the whole education aspect really pushed me, I think, into the research realm.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

To get more at the heart of it. So Liz's research, like I said earlier, is very techie, but your other research is now in virtual reality, which whenever someone says like virtual reality, first of all, we all think like, oh yeah, that's interesting. And like I was saying earlier, I mentioned this on Twitter and immediately got followers. So like, yeah, so tell me a little bit about it.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

So kind of like Wreck-It Ralph.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Yeah it's kind of cool because I mean like that as researchers is kind of what happens, right? We start to get into one path and really, oh, that's a really interesting thing. Let's just kind of keep going and see what else we can find out. Yeah.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Exactly. Yeah. And like how you morph something over time and, you know, keep improving it and exactly. And think that's like phenomenal that we are able to do that as researchers too. I think, you know, it's a it's a, you know, huge opportunity for us as not only scholars but people to be able to kind of follow one thing through. So after after that, the developing part of our project thing, we kind of wanted to see, okay, so how do you integrate VR into a curriculum? Because that's like a really kind of a tall, you know, a big task for people. And it's a big task to wrap your head around because there's just so many components to it, especially it being so new back when we were starting these these projects. And so the second project that we did was actually based on what we call social VR. And so what we did is we worked with a advanced level Spanish speaking proficiency course. It was a really interesting course because it was all based on the conversation and being,you know, helping your proficiency and helping elevate proficiency. And it was a 400 level course, I believe. And so what I did is I, with the instructor, created three sets of dialogues that were done in face to face and in VR. So students would come into the lab and they there was like three sets. And so you would work with different partners for each set. Each set was based around content from the course and so like a reading or something like that. And you were either in the face to face first group or the VR first group. So that's how I counter-balanced order so that it wouldn't be a confounding variable. And so the students would come in and they would do their dialogue inside of VR. They would be able to manipulate objects and things like that and, you know, dress up their avatars and, you know, really be able to like experience like immersive VR while they're speaking. And then, of course, they would do face to face dialogues as well. And so what we found is actually ran within subjects test. So statistically, students said that they had more fun when they were in VR versus face to face, but then they also experienced lower self feelings of self-consciousness when they were in VR. So that was a really interesting two effects, I thought. And then the the open ended responses were really illuminating as well. You know, they they backed up the fact that they, you know, we're in an Avatar form, so they just felt like the words could flow out of them and they just felt so much more comfortable speaking. They also really liked being zapped out of like reality, which I thought was really interesting. And I'm like, well, of course, you know, you know, it's much better. It's like virtual reality is much better than real world. So in they like manipulating objects. And the other component to this too is that in some of their responses they were talking about like the concept of virtual embodiment. So truly being like virtually embodied in either a form that was different from theirs and that they could relate to or want it to be or it was like a reflection of themselves. But either way, they were kind of like tapping on to that idea of virtual embodiment. And so, and then new research just came out, I believe is in the Calico Journal and where they looked at cortisol levels in VR and actually saw that like that like cortisol levels were lower and self-reports of anxiety as well, but actual like cortisol data, which was really fascinating. And then I believe that all correlated to increased oral comprehensibility. I'd have to look back, but I believe that that was that was the finding. So this is a really interesting result. And so after that study and the final one that I'll talk about, it was what we call the makerspace study. So basically what we did is we really wanted to see how we could really integrate even further VR into a course because some of the comments that we received on that second study was that, you know, this was so amazing, but they wanted to use the environments even more, you know what I mean? Really integrated into their dialogues even more. And so we did just that. We really wanted to integrate VR into an actual class. And so we took a Russian cultural studies course, which was an advanced level Russian course, and it focussed on art. So it's a really great like area like a class to draw from because there's so many cool things that you could do. And so we developed a three part final project in the lab, and so it basically consisted of students. The first part students came in and they actually entered into a museum in VR and immersive VR, and they had looked at this museum before. It was the Hermitage Museum. There's a you can enter it through your computer, like on through your computer, like through the computer, through their computer, like through the web. And so they prepared a short presentation on a sculpture and or a painting. And so they prepared they came in and they went into this 3D image basically, and just described what they saw and described how their sculpture or art piece like, you know what I mean? What it meant to them and how it connected to art movements that were they were discussing in class. And then after that, because it was a makerspace study, we designed our own materials as well. And so we had a graduate student the summer before go and collect video footage for us with the 3D camera. And so like a360 degree camera. Yeah. And so what we did is our lovely tech guy, the lab manager, he, like, extracted a stilt frame from it. And so what we did is we actually had students go into that room immediately after their, like, prepared speech part and spontaneously speak about what they saw around them. Yeah.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

That's very different, isn't it.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Very different. And they really enjoyed that. They, they, they commented on that and their open ended responses that, you know, they could just kind of wing it and they really liked doing that. And they also said that, you know, it was almost because the the headset was on their face that they could just kind of like, you know, talk. And so that's that's going back to that second study in social VR where you have like a headset on your face and you just like let the words flow out. So that's a kind of like a really interesting effect that happens. And so that was the first part of the final project. And then the second part was an iPad activity where students came in the lab and they drew a painting. We called it a painting and they drew a painting and related it to an artistic movement. So they, like talked about how it related what it meant to them. And then the third part was a VR sculpting activity. So this was very cool. It was like, you know, the culminating activity. And so they would come into or they came into the lab and they entered in VR into we use the Adobe Medium app and they actually sculpt it like a sculpture in VR and then talked about it. And so that was they loved that activity because like after that we also 3D printed their sculpture so they could come back to the lab and get them. And it was a really cool experience for them. And so what we did on the kind of assessment side is compare their iPad activity with their sculpting activity because they were both hands on activities. And so what we found was really increased motivation and creativity. That was the two main things that came out in the data. And of course, they, they really liked like they enjoyed the museum experience too, because, you know, one person commented like, you can't go to a Russian museum here, you know, but it really felt like they were there. And so that's the whole point of immersive VR is that you feel like you're really there. And then they also reiterated that they felt like they could improvise with their speech, like a lot of them said, like, you know, the headset on their face like made it easier. And they also liked using the space, like actually using the actual, like physical slash virtual space, like for sculpting because they could like zoom and like look at it from all different angles and it's like immersive. So it's almost like you're, you're right there. And so I think like one of the students said, Yeah,sure, you could give us clay and say, have at it. But this was like a much cooler experience. So and it just brings like the language, not only the language learning,but just like the cultural part in and because, you know, you're creating like a cultural artefact, essentially. And so that was a really, really wonderful experience. Really great.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Yeah. I absolutely love this research. Like the thing about learning a new language in my opinion is that typically we take this path of we learn if you're like a French major or a French minor or something like that, something where you have a considerable amount of investment, I guess in the language, you know, at a certain point you're going to go and study abroad.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

But you have to build up that, or at least you don't have to. But you typically build up your fluency and then you go study abroad and then your fluency just like skyrockets from there.

I know with me when I did that. Yeah, it's just it's crazy because you're immersed in that environment. But even then, when you're immersed in that environment, it is stressful. Yeah, maybe it's because I'm an introvert, but like learn being comfortable speaking in your non-native language, it is a big hurdle to overcome in my opinion. And the research backs it up, right? I mean, oh, the one research study about the cortisol levels. So cortisol means stress rates, higher cortisol, more stress.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Correct.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Yeah. If you're stressed about just asking the shopkeeper for, you know, bread. Yeah, it's it's a thing to have to overcome. And the fact that you can get around this by VR and the fact that you can get around this without having to have the financial means and the time to go do this like this is just so cool.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes. And like, I really that's exactly it. You know, like and you're hitting on a really important point that, you know, not everybody always has the funds to have that type of experiential learning opportunity. You know, we talk so much about experiential learning nowadays, and VR is just this like really great area to draw from because, you know, it doesn't replace, of course, a study abroad experience, that type of experiential learning, but it definitely supplements your your learning in a different way, in a non-traditional way, too. And you know, the students are really excited about it as well. I mean, you know, think about going into like a 3D space, like a metaverse and speaking to a native speaker. I mean, how would what a wonderful experience. And you feel like you're really in the same like, you know, a shared time and place, so to speak, and so that. Just, I think, really powerful.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

This is very tech oriented research. Is this more research research or is this something that can be applied in the classroom then?

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Yeah, I think they really will be actually. So I will need a link to that and we'll share that in our show notes so everyone can can take a look at those because I think that would be a really helpful resource.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yes.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

So as we kind of wrap things up here, is there anything that you would like to kind of provide as a concluding thought or one last thing that you want to emphasise?

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Well, yeah, give yourself, you know, room to experiment, like step by step, because working with this technology not only is difficult, but integrating it into a curriculum I believe is difficult as well. So take your time, but also, you know, have fun. And yeah, I think just the combination. If we think about the Tpac model, for example, the combination of content, knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and technological knowledge, working all together I think is, is really is really critical. But I think have fun is my take away.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

Thank you very much, Liz, for being here today and for chatting about your research. It's been really interesting. I have lots of things to Google now.

Dr Elizabeth Enkin

Yeah. Yeah. Well, this has been phenomenal. Thanks for listening.

Dr Kaitlyn Zavaleta

In the next podcast, Marie will be interviewing Angelos Lengeris about phonological abilities. So this means that he's going to be discussing how to kind of train your ear. So this is one of the things that might feel a little bit trickier for some of us learners. So this should be very interesting to hear. We would really appreciate it if you can just take a minute to fill out our survey, it's time to tell us what you are thinking. So you'll find the link in our show notes as well as our web page link. Thank you for listening to our discussion on virtual reality, and thank you to the British Academy for funding our podcast. I'm Dr. Kaitlyn Zavaleta and you've been listening to the Language Scientist podcast.