Purpose

This research paper aimed to investigate the affordances of using virtual reality (VR) in teaching culture among in-service teachers of teaching Persian to speakers of other languages (TPSOL) in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative case study, conducted at two Iranian universities, used purposeful sampling to select 34 eligible in-service Persian teachers from a pool of 73. Data collection used an open-ended questionnaire and interviews.

Findings

Before the TPSOL in-service training workshop, teachers expressed their reservations regarding the use of VR to teach culture in TPSOL courses. The emerged themes were “skepticism toward effectiveness,” “practicality concerns,” “limited awareness of VR applications,” “technological apprehension” and “prevalence of traditional teaching paradigms.” During the post-workshop interview, it was discovered that the teachers’ perceptions of VR in teaching culture had undergone a positive shift. The workshop generated emergent themes that reflected positive perceptions and affordances for using VR to teach culture in TPSOL, including “enhanced cultural immersion,” “increased student engagement,” “simulation of authentic cultural experiences,” and “facilitation of interactive learning environments.”

Research limitations/implications

One primary limitation is the lack of prior experience with VR for teaching practices in real-world classrooms among the participants. While the study aimed to explore the potential of VR in enhancing pedagogical approaches, the absence of participants with prior exposure to VR in educational contexts may impact the generalizability of the findings to a broader population. Additionally, the study faced practical constraints, such as the unavailability of sufficient facilities in the workshop. As a result, the instructor had to project the VR cont7ent on a monitor, potentially diverging from the immersive nature of true VR experiences. These limitations offer opportunities for future research to refine methodologies and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the implications of integrating VR into teaching practices.

Originality/value

Extensive research has been conducted on the effectiveness of VR in language education. However, there is a significant gap in research on TPSOL, which is considered a less commonly taught language. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the use of VR in the TPSOL through the lenses of in-service teachers. As part of a larger investigation, this qualitative inquiry focuses on the perceptions of in-service teachers about VR, with a particular emphasis on the cultural understanding of the Persian language.

中文翻译：

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从虚拟现实到文化现实：虚拟现实融入外语教学教学文化

目的

本研究论文旨在调查伊朗在职波斯语教师（TPSOL）在文化教学中使用虚拟现实（VR）的可行性。

设计/方法论/途径

这项定性案例研究在两所伊朗大学进行，通过有目的的抽样，从 73 名教师中选出了 34 名符合条件的在职波斯语教师。数据收集采用了开放式问卷和访谈。

发现

在TPSOL在职培训研讨会之前，教师们对TPSOL课程中使用VR来教授文化表示保留。出现的主题是“对有效性的怀疑”、“实用性问题”、“对 VR 应用的有限认识”、“技术忧虑”和“传统教学范式的盛行”。在研讨会后的采访中，我们发现教师们对VR在教学文化中的看法发生了积极的转变。研讨会产生了一些新兴主题，反映了在 TPSOL 中使用 VR 教授文化的积极看法和可供性，包括“增强文化沉浸感”、“提高学生参与度”、“模拟真实文化体验”和“促进互动学习环境”。

研究局限性/影响

一个主要的限制是参与者缺乏在现实世界课堂上进行 VR 教学实践的经验。虽然该研究旨在探索 VR 在增强教学方法方面的潜力，但缺乏在教育环境中之前接触过 VR 的参与者可能会影响研究结果对更广泛人群的普遍性。此外，该研究还面临实际限制，例如车间内没有足够的设施。因此，讲师必须将 VR 内容投影到显示器上，这可能会偏离真实 VR 体验的沉浸式本质。这些限制为未来的研究提供了机会，以完善方法并更全面地了解将 VR 融入教学实践的影响。

原创性/价值

人们对 VR 在语言教育中的有效性进行了广泛的研究。然而，对 TPSOL 的研究存在很大差距，TPSOL 被认为是一种不太常见的教学语言。本研究旨在通过在职教师的视角探索 VR 在 TPSOL 中的使用，从而弥补这一差距。作为更大规模调查的一部分，这项定性调查的重点是在职教师对 VR 的看法，特别强调对波斯语的文化理解。