Dissertation Title: Traversing Japanese Realities: Learning to Participate in A Culture through Virtual Reality
 

Committee Members: Mari Noda, Galal Walker, Youngjoo Yi
 

Abstract (for non-experts): My dissertation investigates the efficacy of Virtual Reality (VR) as a tool for teaching Japanese language and culture to first-year students with little to no prior background in Japanese. By comparing students who learned via conventional methods with those who utilized a tailor-made VR program I designed for our curriculum, I found evidence that VR materials are effective for acquiring cultural cues, social behaviors, and appropriate body language beyond the classroom in ways that current materials cannot provide. Crucially, these outcomes are contingent upon learners retaining access to a space for holistic evaluation, a role that the classroom continues to serve. VR appears not to be a threat to the classroom, but rather an enhancement for it when properly integrated into a curriculum.