The Impact of Non-Formal FL Learning at the Museum on Vocabulary Learning. A Virtual Experience

Abstract

The present study aims at exploring the impact of a module based on the combination of CLIL and non-formal FL learning and designed around a virtual museum tour on students’ EFL receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. The very artworks of the museum were the starting point to develop interactive activities which were key to promote students’ vocabulary learning in innovative ways concerning both the teaching methodology and the modality of delivery. Lexical knowledge is indeed a crucial part of mastering a FL. Yet, it is the aspect which causes the greatest problems and concerns for students. Previous research mostly based on qualitative methods has already established that museum FL learning can produce a positive impact on students’ vocabulary learning. In this study statistical methods were employed to support these findings. In particular, data were collected through the administration of a pre-test before the module in order to set the initial level of the students, and of a post-test aiming at examining their improvements. The results of the tests were also triangulated with those of a questionnaire in which the students reported their perceived outcomes after the activities. Furthermore, the main novelty of this study consists in the delivery of the classes: they were held via synchronous computer-mediated communication (i.e., videoconferencing) and the visit was virtual, following important new trends in language teaching. In this context, this study confirms the established research suggesting that computer-mediated learning can be beneficial to the development of vocabulary knowledge thanks to its collaborative and interactive nature. Moreover, it lines up with several studies claiming the positive impact of VR technologies on permitting learners to take advantage of immersive environments (such as virtual tours) in which they can have access to both meaningful communication and multi-sensorial stimuli.