Embodied Cognition and XR in Language Teaching

(How) can XR technologies facilitate language learning? In this research study, the theories of Embodied Cognition (EC) were applied to investigate how XR technologies can be utilized for language teaching and learning processes and what potentials and challenges arise in their application in vocational school practice. Both the fields of German as a Foreign/Second Language (DaF/DaZ) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) served as reference disciplines in the development of the XR learning environments and their evaluation through an empirical study at vocational schools. Three user groups (desktop VR, VR with a head-mounted display, and MR) were compared in terms of their overall and individual performance at two testing points. In addition, the user experience (UX) was assessed by means of post-tests. The book provides impulses and working foundations for developers, teachers, researchers, and decision-makers, as well as for anyone who wishes to engage more fundamentally with XR as a learning medium.