Exploring multimodal analysis in VR-assisted language learning: Insights and applications
Date Issued
December 2025
Author(s)
DOI
10.4995/EuroCALL2025.2025.21193
Abstract
Multimodality recognizes that meaning making does not happen through language alone and
examines the co-existence of various communicative modes, including sensory modes such as sight,
hearing and touch (the haptic mode, concerned with tactile experience), as well as gestures, body
movements, images, and both spoken and written language. As a theoretical and methodological
framework, multimodality has been widely explored in education (Kress, 2012; Kress & van
Leeuwen, 2001; Norris, 2004a, 2004b). However, its application within High-Immersion Virtual
Reality (HiVR) environments has remained underexplored (Chen & Sevilla‐Pavón, 2023; JauregiOndarra et al., 2024). With its capacity for high immersion, embodiment and sensory engagement,
HiVR enables contextualized, situated learning social interactions since learners can simulate
authentic conditions that resemble real-life scenarios (Christoforou et al., 2019) and learn by doing.
This paper explores how multimodal analysis can be methodologically applied in HiVR
environments by examining a single learning episode from a larger study on immersive language
learning (Thrasher et al., 2024b). Through a comparative application of three frameworks -
Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA), Multimodal Interaction Analysis (MIA), and the Grammar
of Transposition - the study aims to contribute to the underresearched field of multimodal analysis
in VR-assisted language learning (VRALL) and to offer a practical entry point for future research
in immersive language education.
examines the co-existence of various communicative modes, including sensory modes such as sight,
hearing and touch (the haptic mode, concerned with tactile experience), as well as gestures, body
movements, images, and both spoken and written language. As a theoretical and methodological
framework, multimodality has been widely explored in education (Kress, 2012; Kress & van
Leeuwen, 2001; Norris, 2004a, 2004b). However, its application within High-Immersion Virtual
Reality (HiVR) environments has remained underexplored (Chen & Sevilla‐Pavón, 2023; JauregiOndarra et al., 2024). With its capacity for high immersion, embodiment and sensory engagement,
HiVR enables contextualized, situated learning social interactions since learners can simulate
authentic conditions that resemble real-life scenarios (Christoforou et al., 2019) and learn by doing.
This paper explores how multimodal analysis can be methodologically applied in HiVR
environments by examining a single learning episode from a larger study on immersive language
learning (Thrasher et al., 2024b). Through a comparative application of three frameworks -
Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA), Multimodal Interaction Analysis (MIA), and the Grammar
of Transposition - the study aims to contribute to the underresearched field of multimodal analysis
in VR-assisted language learning (VRALL) and to offer a practical entry point for future research
in immersive language education.
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