College of Education alum receives AECT award for immersive virtual foreign language learning research

Umi Saidah, a 2024 Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition (TESLA) doctoral program graduate from the University of South Florida College of Education, received the "Outstanding Student Practice of Educational Technology in an International Setting" award from the Association of Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) for her research project titled "Innovative English Language Learning Lessons for Indonesian Students in a 3D Virtual World." This award recognizes one student in educational communications and technology who is heavily involved or has substantially contributed to a project or a professional practice in an international setting.

"Receiving this AECT award is a tremendous honor and a validation of my commitment to educational technology, instructional design, and foreign language education," said Saidah, an Indonesian native. "It acknowledges the importance of my research on using 3D virtual worlds to reduce foreign language anxiety, enhance intercultural competence, and boost learning motivation."

"This achievement would not have been possible without the exceptional mentorship of my major professor, Sanghoon Park, as well as the support of my committee members and research team," said Saidah. "I am deeply grateful to the AECT community for this recognition."

"Throughout her studies, Umi's dedication was evident in everything she did. Her curiosity about virtual learning environments and her commitment to research methodology consistently impressed me," said Park, an associate professor at the USF College of Education who nominated Saidah for the AECT award. "Umi's passion and perseverance are qualities that I have always been proud of, and they are exactly what we hope to see in our doctoral graduates. I'm eager to see how she will continue expanding her research as she moves forward."

Saidah's research focused on using 3D virtual worlds in foreign language education, designing and developing a series of English lessons in these immersive spaces to overcome the persistent challenges of English language learning and improve language learning practices using engaging and intuitive learning approaches. She conducted a mixed-methods study with 59 university-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in Indonesia and a native English-speaking instructor in the United States.

Study participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group, which interacted verbally and physically with the instructor via avatars in a private virtual world on Virbela, and a control group, which communicated with the instructor through video interaction in a private Zoom meeting room. To create an authentic context for immersive learning and real-time intercultural interaction, Saidah designed five intercultural sessions that featured cultural displays on the topics discussed, using illustrations, images, online articles, and videos.

"I hope my research will have a lasting impact on the fields of language education and instructional design by demonstrating the potential of 3D virtual worlds to create low-anxiety, immersive learning experiences," said Saidah. "I want to provide instructional designers and language educators with practical insights on how immersive technologies can be effectively integrated into language learning."

Saidah's research contributes to existing studies on intercultural communicative competence (ICC) by presenting a contrasting finding: learning experiences within the 2D videoconferencing environment effectively promoted ICC knowledge and skills, possibly due to direct instructional delivery. The study provides further evidence for efforts to reduce foreign language anxiety, showing consistent findings with previous research that 3D virtual worlds can effectively lower foreign language anxiety, partly due to the anonymity affordance. There was no significant difference in learning motivation.

Interview data revealed that the 3D virtual world participants found the learning experiences novel, appreciating the degree of immersion and sensory fidelity offered by the 3D attributes, and reported lifelike interactions. According to Saidah, this suggests that 3D virtual worlds hold the potential for immersive foreign language learning.

"Technology is a part of the DNA of today's students, and my research agenda is focused on continually innovating and exploring new ways to leverage emerging technologies and instructional design approaches to enrich student learning experiences," said Saidah. "Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to the development of innovative solutions through the use of emerging technologies to support student learning success."

"Educational technology has grown rapidly, especially post-pandemic, as it expands learning opportunities beyond traditional classroom walls," said Saidah. "I aspire to keep contributing to this dynamic field through impactful research and collaboration."

In an inspiring display of perseverance, Saidah successfully defended her final defense just nine days after her father's passing, declining offers to delay the defense. She believed completing her Ph.D. as soon as possible was what her father would have wanted and is proud to dedicate the achievement in his honor.