PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES IN USING SECOND LIFE FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING ENGLISH
PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES IN USING SECOND LIFE FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING ENGLISH

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate prospective teachers’ experiences in utilizing Second Life for learning English, differentiating between personal use of the said virtual world for learning the English language and its potential use for teaching English in the future. The results showed that the students perceived the use of Second Life to be beneficial for communication in English and they regarded it as a great source of the target language vocabulary. They also found it useful in practicing writing skills and learning new words and phrases. The use of the said world allowed the students to point out some disadvantages. Among other things, they included the incorrect use of English by some Second Life users, problems with finding people to talk with and rude behavior. In addition, the study participants did not regard Second Life as useful in developing oral skills or grammar. Finally, the findings revealed the prospective teachers’ willingness to use Second Life for teaching speaking and writing skills as well as the target language vocabulary. A selection of the students’ proposals of language activities to be used in a virtual world is also offered.

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