The Influence of Immersive Virtual Field Trips on Academic Vocabulary

Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate an immersive virtual field trip (iVFT) on topic specific academic vocabulary for students with developmental language disorder (DLD). DLD is the most common childhood learning disorder with a prevalence of 7.4%(1) and occurs in the absence of a known biomedical condition (e.g., hearing loss, autism, stroke, intellectual disability). DLD affects a person's academic and social function due to difficulty with using and understanding language.(2,3) Approximately half of students with DLD have a deficit in vocabulary that persists through highschool.(4) Once children fall behind in their language and vocabulary development, it is very difficult to catch up generally resulting in a wider gap as they progress through their school years. This deficit can have cascading social, mental health, occupational and financial consequences.(5) There is preliminary evidence that a virtual reality experience such as an immersive virtual field trip (iVFT) was beneficial for facilitating vocabulary and comprehension in general education(6-8) and within targeted populations of students including second language learners(9) and those with learning differences (e.g., autism,(10) attention deficit hyperactivity,(11,12) and dyslexia(13). The term "immersive" refers to a state of heightened sensation when viewing a simulated environment that is superimposed onto a screen with embedded multisensory input (e.g., visual, auditory, proprioceptive).(14) The viewer looks through 3D goggles to block out the present environment resulting in a feeling of presence. These simulated experiences or destinations (e.g., space) are a type of VR referred to as an immersive virtual field trip (iVFT).

To date, there is a lack of empirical evidence, explicitly targeting academic vocabulary growth for early grade school students with DLD. In addition, no study has reported on learning outcomes of students with DLD following a VR condition. Therefore, the primary study objective was to compare gains in academic vocabulary measures between a traditional book condition and an iVFT learning condition for young students with DLD.

Conditions

• Developmental Language Disorder
• Language Disorders in Children

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

The information provided in the iVFT and control book parallel one another.

An immersive virtual fled trip (iVFT) is a form of virtual reality (VR). The term immersive refers to an experience where the senses become heightened through multisensory input (e.g., visual, auditory, proprioceptive). When adding peripherals such as a head-mounted device (HMD) (e.g., goggles with 3D-lenses), a mobile phone becomes a pseudo-theater providing a 360-degree view that mimics the real world. For example, one can experience a simulated rollercoaster or visit the moon that may otherwise be inaccessible in day-to-day life. Also, a VFT provides for context and aids in background knowledge that is a crucial aspect of learning. Participants will receive three interventions sessions each last 15-minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Salus University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Mitchell Scheiman, PhD, DO · Dean of Research

• Amy Lustig, PhD,SLP,MPH · Salus Univeristy

• Yvonne D'Uva Howard, PhD, MS SLP · Salus University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

8 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-10-07

Primary Completion

2022-03-01

Completion

2022-06-06

Countries

• United States

Study Locations