This study investigates an instantiation of a 3D virtual world–based Japanese learning curriculum within the context of a Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) classroom. Through a mixed-method case study approach, participants’ natural acquisition of Japanese in a 3D virtual environment was examined. In the present study, four sources of data from 11 university-level JFL students (n=11) were collected and analyzed to evaluate the learning outcomes from a new instructional approach called computer-assisted learning of communication (CALC). Based on both interpretative and statistical analyses of data, the major finding of the present study was that the participants, when immersed in the 3D virtual world of Tokyo, acquired contextualized communicative competence. More specifically, quantitative analyses revealed statistically significant improvement in the participants’ acquisition of incidentally encountered vocabulary, in particular, kanji pronunciation and vocabulary interpretation. Qualitative analyses revealed participants’ acquisition of various communicative competencies specific to the context, including persuasive talk, awareness of audience, and collaborative communication.

中文翻译：

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计算机辅助交流学习 (CALC)：在 3D 虚拟世界中学习日语的案例研究

本研究调查了在日语作为外语 (JFL) 课堂背景下的基于 3D 虚拟世界的日语学习课程的实例化。通过混合方法的案例研究方法，研究了参与者在 3D 虚拟环境中自然习得日语的情况。在本研究中，来自 11 名大学级 JFL 学生的四个数据源（n=11) 被收集和分析，以评估一种称为计算机辅助交流学习 (CALC) 的新教学方法的学习成果。基于对数据的解释性和统计分析，本研究的主要发现是参与者在沉浸在东京的 3D 虚拟世界中时，获得了情境化的交流能力。更具体地说，定量分析显示，参与者对偶然遇到的词汇的习得有统计学意义的改善，特别是汉字发音和词汇解释。定性分析显示参与者获得了特定于上下文的各种交流能力，包括说服性谈话、听众意识和协作交流。