The integration of Second Life into CFL teaching and learning

Abstract

In the past a few years, technology has made it feasible to use virtual worlds to enhance second or foreign language learning. The objective of this paper is twofold: first, to explain how the teaching of Chinese as a Foreign language was implemented in such a virtual environment in relation to teaching approaches in a second/foreign language, such as the task-based approach, and the language activities, tools, and resources in Second Life; and second, to illustrate the effects of such virtual pedagogy on English speakers as novice learners of Chinese at a tertiary level in Australia. The preliminary results derived from the pre- and post-test and online survey questionnaires show that virtual worlds like Second Life have a great potential not only to improve the knowledge of Chinese but also to increase learners' levels of interest in learning the language. All in all, this small-scale study proved that it is possible to implement in a virtual classroom the strategies used in L2/FL teaching in conventional face-to-face settings.