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Using Virtual Reality to support speaking skills

Bettina Hermoso-Gómez, School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds

Background and aims

The primary aim of this project is to integrate Virtual Reality (VR) technology into language teaching in order to enhance learners’ speaking skills through immersive, interactive, and authentic communicative experiences in real-world contexts. This project seeks to address that gap by using VR to simulate realistic social, academic, and professional scenarios in which learners can actively practice speaking in the target language. Main aims:

  • · Explore the effectiveness of VR as a complementary tool to traditional speaking instruction.
  • · Increase learners’ confidence and willingness to communicate by providing a safe, low-anxiety space for oral practice.
  • · Support the development of pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, and pragmatic competence through repeated, experiential interaction.

Methodology and data collection

The VR intervention will take place over the academic year 2026/27 where students will engage in regular VR speaking sessions in addition to their language lessons using a programme called “Bodyswaps”. The activities the students will engage with will include simulated real-life scenarios and role-play tasks requiring spontaneous interaction. Each session will be followed by structured reflection and feedback led by the teacher. This project will involve a selected number of students enrolled on SPPO3010, a module with quite a large cohort of students.

Recorded speaking tasks from sessions will be analysed and, using a rubric, pronunciation, communicative effectiveness and fluency will be evaluated. Questionnaires and focus groups will also be used to measure impact. I will seek ethics approval for data collection.

Expected results, outcomes and dissemination

I anticipate that participants will demonstrate measurable improvement in oral proficiency. In particular, reduced speaking anxiety, increased confidence with an overall increased speaking fluency. I would also expect, to a certain degree, an increased lexical range and more accurate grammatical usage. Other outcomes include:

  • An article on different aspects of the project
  • A conference presentation.
  • Recommendations for other language practitioners both internally and externally.