Search Results (64)

Late bilingual speakers immersed in a second language (L2) environment often experience the non-pathological attrition of their first language (L1), exhibiting selective and reversible changes in L1 processing and production. While attrition research has largely focused on long-term residents in anglophone countries, examining changes primarily within a single L1 domain, the present study employs a novel experimental design to investigate L1 attrition, alongside L2 acquisition, across three domains (i.e., the lexicon, syntax–pragmatics interface, and prosody) in two groups of L1-English L2-Italian late bilinguals: long-term residents in Italy vs. university students in the UK. A total of 112 participants completed online tasks assessing lexical retrieval, anaphora resolution, and sentence stress patterns in both languages. First, both bilingual groups showed comparable levels of semantic interference in lexical retrieval. Second, at the syntax–pragmatics interface, only residents in Italy showed signs of L1 attrition in real-time processing of anaphora, while resolution preferences were similar between groups; in the L2, both bilingual groups demonstrated target-like preferences, despite some slowdown in processing. Third, while both groups showed some evidence of target-like L2 prosody, with residents in Italy matching L1-Italian sentence stress patterns closely, prosodic attrition was only reported for residents in Italy in exploratory analyses. Overall, this study supports the notion of L1 attrition as a natural consequence of bilingualism—one that is domain- and experience-dependent, unfolds along a continuum, and involves a complex (and possibly inverse) relationship between L1 and L2 performance that warrants further investigation. Full article

Technological advances have enabled the development of innovative educational tools, particularly those aimed at supporting English as a Second Language (ESL) learning, with a specific focus on oral skills. However, pronunciation remains a significant challenge due to the limited availability of personalized learning opportunities that offer immediate feedback and contextualized practice. In this context, the present research proposes the design, implementation, and validation of an immersive application that leverages virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance English pronunciation. The proposed system integrates a 3D interactive environment developed in Unity, voice classification models trained using Teachable Machine, and real-time communication with Firebase, allowing users to practice and assess their pronunciation in a simulated library-like virtual setting. Through its integrated AI module, the application can analyze the pronunciation of each word in real time, detecting correct and incorrect utterances, and then providing immediate feedback to help users identify and correct their mistakes. The virtual environment was designed to be a welcoming and user-friendly, promoting active engagement with the learning process. The application’s distributed architecture enables automated feedback generation via data flow between the cloud-based AI, the database, and the visualization interface. Results demonstrate that using 400 samples per class and a confidence threshold of 99.99% for training the AI model effectively eliminated false positives, significantly increasing system accuracy and providing users with more reliable feedback. This directly contributes to enhanced learner autonomy and improved ESL acquisition outcomes. Furthermore, user surveys conducted to understand their perceptions of the application’s usefulness as a support tool for English learning yielded an average acceptance rate of 93%. This reflects the acceptance of these immersive technologies in educational contexts, as the combination of these technologies offers a realistic and user-friendly simulation environment, in addition to detailed word analysis, facilitating self-assessment and independent learning among students. Full article

Addressing the issues of coarse emotional representation, low cross-modal alignment efficiency, and insufficient real-time response capabilities in current human–computer emotional language interaction, this paper proposes an affective interaction framework integrating BERT-based semantic understanding with VITS-based speech synthesis. The framework aims to enhance the naturalness, expressiveness, and response efficiency of human–computer emotional interaction. By introducing a modular layered design, a six-dimensional emotional space, a gated attention mechanism, and a dynamic model scheduling strategy, the system overcomes challenges such as limited emotional representation, modality misalignment, and high-latency responses. Experimental results demonstrate that the framework achieves superior performance in speech synthesis quality (MOS: 4.35), emotion recognition accuracy (91.6%), and response latency (<1.2 s), outperforming baseline models like Tacotron2 and FastSpeech2. Through model lightweighting, GPU parallel inference, and load balancing optimization, the system validates its robustness and generalizability across English and Chinese corpora in cross-linguistic tests. The modular architecture and dynamic scheduling ensure scalability and efficiency, enabling a more humanized and immersive interaction experience in typical application scenarios such as psychological companionship, intelligent education, and high-concurrency customer service. This study provides an effective technical pathway for developing the next generation of personalized and immersive affective intelligent interaction systems. Full article

(1) Virtual reality (VR) technologies have shown significant potential for diagnosing and treating vision-related impairments. This rapid review evaluates and characterizes the existing literature on VR technologies for diagnosing and treating vision-based diseases. (2) Methods: A systematic search was conducted across Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Ovid), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Ovid). Abstracts were screened using Rayyan QCRI, followed by full-text screening and data extraction. Eligible studies were published in peer-reviewed journals, written in English, focused on human participants, used immersive and portable VR devices as the primary intervention, and reported on the clinical effectiveness of VR for therapeutic, diagnostic, or screening purposes for vision or auditory–visual impairments. Various study characteristics, including design and participant details, were extracted, and the MMAT assessment tool was used to evaluate study quality. (3) Results: Seventy-six studies met the inclusion criteria. Among these, sixty-four (84.2%) were non-randomized studies exploring VR’s effectiveness, while twenty-two (15.8%) were randomized-controlled trials. Of the included studies, 38.2% focused on diagnosing, 21.0% on screening, and 38.2% on treating vision impairments. Glaucoma and amblyopia were the most commonly studied visual impairments. (4) Conclusions: The use of standalone, remotely controlled VR headsets for screening and diagnosing visual diseases represents a promising advancement in ophthalmology. With ongoing technological developments, VR has the potential to revolutionize eye care by improving accessibility, efficiency, and personalization. Continued research and innovation in VR applications for vision care are expected to further enhance patient outcomes. Full article

Background: Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) is increasingly used for managing cuff tear arthropathy, osteoarthritis, complex fractures, and revision procedures. As the demand for surgical precision and reproducibility grows, immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and metaverse-based platforms are being explored for surgical training, intraoperative guidance, and rehabilitation. While early data suggest potential benefits, a focused synthesis specific to RTSA is lacking. Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases was performed through 30 May 2025. Eligible studies included those evaluating immersive technologies in the context of RTSA for skill acquisition or intraoperative guidance. Only peer-reviewed articles published in English were included. Data were synthesized narratively due to heterogeneity in study design and outcome metrics. Results: Out of 628 records screened, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies evaluated immersive VR for surgical training: four randomized controlled trials and one retrospective case series. VR training improved procedural efficiency and showed non-inferiority to cadaveric training. Sixteen studies investigated intraoperative navigation or AR guidance. Clinical and cadaveric studies consistently reported improved accuracy in glenoid baseplate positioning with reduced angular and linear deviations in postoperative controls as compared to preoperative planning. Conclusions: Immersive technologies show promise in enhancing training, intraoperative accuracy, and procedural consistency in RTSA. VR and AR platforms may support standardized surgical education and precision-based practice, but their broad clinical impact remains limited by small sample sizes, heterogeneous methodologies, and limited long-term outcomes. Further multicenter trials with standardized endpoints and cost-effectiveness analyses are warranted. Postoperative rehabilitation using immersive technologies in RTSA remains underexplored and presents an opportunity for future research. Full article

This study examines the psychological mechanisms through which BTS’s perceived star attributes—expertise, authenticity, likability, and similarity—influence fan loyalty within fandom-driven tourism. Anchored in activity theory and content theory of motivation, the proposed model identifies psychological need fulfillment and emotional satisfaction as sequential mediators linking celebrity perception to loyalty behaviors. Data were obtained from 916 BTS fans across six English-speaking countries via a structured online survey. To test the hypothesized relationships, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed. Results demonstrate that perceived star attributes significantly enhance psychological need fulfillment, which subsequently predicts emotional satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, the attributes exert direct effects on emotional satisfaction, supporting both reflective and intuitive engagement pathways. All hypothesized paths were statistically significant, and the model exhibited strong overall fit (SRMR = 0.039; NFI = 0.875). Theoretically, this study advances loyalty research by foregrounding the roles of symbolic consumption, emotional resonance, and identity-based alignment in global fandom contexts. Practically, the findings offer insights for tourism marketers, destination planners, and entertainment brands seeking to design emotionally immersive, narrative-rich tourism experiences. Recommendations are provided for developing BTS-themed content aligned with fans’ identity motivations to foster sustained emotional engagement and destination loyalty. Full article

The accelerating pace of digital life has intensified psychological strain, increasing the demand for accessible and systematized emotional support tools. Relaxing video games—defined as low-pressure, non-competitive games designed to promote calm and emotional relief—offer immersive environments that facilitate affective engagement and sustained user involvement. This study proposes a computational framework that integrates sentiment analysis and topic modeling to investigate the affective mechanisms and behavioral dynamics associated with relaxing gameplay. We analyzed nearly 60,000 user reviews from the Steam platform in both English and Chinese, employing a hybrid methodology that combines sentiment classification, dual-stage Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), and multi-label mechanism tagging. Emotional relief emerged as the dominant sentiment (62.8%), whereas anxiety was less prevalent (10.4%). Topic modeling revealed key affective dimensions such as pastoral immersion and cozy routine. Regression analysis demonstrated that mechanisms like emotional relief (β = 0.0461, p = 0.001) and escapism (β = 0.1820, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of longer playtime, while Anxiety Expression lost statistical significance (p = 0.124) when contextual controls were added. The findings highlight the potential of relaxing video games as scalable emotional regulation tools and demonstrate how sentiment- and topic-driven modeling can support system-level understanding of affective user behavior. This research contributes to affective computing, digital mental health, and the design of emotionally aware interactive systems. Full article

In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a powerful tool for disseminating Cultural Heritage (CH), often incorporating Virtual Humans (VHs) to guide users through historical recreations. The advent of Large Language Models (LLMs) now enables natural, unscripted communication with these VHs, even on limited devices. This paper details a natural interaction system for VHs within a VR application of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our system integrates Speech-to-Text, LLM-based dialogue generation, and Text-to-Speech synthesis. Adhering to user-centered design (UCD) principles, we conducted two studies: a preliminary study revealing user interest in historically adapted language, and a qualitative test that identified key user experience improvements, such as incorporating feedback mechanisms and gender selection for VHs. The project successfully developed a prioritized user experience, focusing on usability evaluation, immersion, and dialogue quality. We propose a generalist methodology and recommendations for integrating unscripted VH dialogue in VR. However, limitations include dialogue generation latency and reduced quality in non-English languages. While a formative usability test evaluated the process, the small sample size restricts broad generalizations about user behavior. Full article

For the purposes of this entry, special educational needs (SEN) refers to a condition where a student requires additional support to access education due to a disability, learning difficulty, or other developmental challenges. In this entry, an overview is provided of the prevalence of and categories of SEN in Irish-immersion primary and post-primary schools across the island of Ireland. This entry examines the prevalence and categories of SEN in Irish-immersion (IM) primary and post-primary schools across the island of Ireland. With immersion education playing a significant role in fostering bilingual proficiency, understanding SEN prevalence within these settings is critical for ensuring inclusive educational practices. The entry analyses trends over the past two decades in SEN prevalence, highlighting an increase in SEN identification, particularly in IM post-primary schools. It also explores regional disparities, comparing Gaeltacht and IM schools outside of the Gaeltacht, as well as differences between IM and English-medium education sectors. Factors such as socio-economic disadvantage, diagnostic advancements, and policy developments are considered when interpreting SEN trends. The findings contribute to the limited international research on SEN prevalence in immersion education and offer insights into recommendations in the areas of policy and practice to further support students with diverse learning needs in bilingual settings. Full article

Background: As technology continues to shape society, younger generations are increasingly accustomed to its integration into daily life, making it mandatory for medical educators to adopt innovative tools like virtual reality (VR). This systematic review examines the efficacy of VR in obstetric training and patient care, focusing on its impact on educational engagement, procedural skill acquisition, and pain management in obstetric patients. Methods: A systematic review of the current literature was conducted using databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and Clinicaltrials.gov analyzing randomized controlled studies on VR’s use in obstetric training and patient care. Inclusion criteria focused on studies evaluating VR’s role in enhancing clinical skills, and pain and anxiety management during labor and procedures. Only randomized controlled trials published in English were considered. The risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2 for RCTs. Data extraction and quality appraisal were performed independently by two reviewers. Results: A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 13 studies focused on VR for pain relief and anxiety reduction, and 5 studies on medical training and skill acquisition. Most studies used immersive VR headsets, while some utilized interactive VR or serious gaming platforms. Adverse effects such as motion sickness and visual discomfort were reported in a few cases but did not significantly impact participant engagement. Conclusions: VR holds the potential to improve obstetric training and patient care by aligning with the learning preferences of younger generations and enhancing both educational and patient care experiences. However, heterogeneity in sample sizes, participants, and intervention types limits generalizability. Further large-scale, high-quality RCTs are needed to validate findings and standardize VR applications in obstetrics. This review was registered in PROSPERO (Registration ID: CRD42024619197). Full article

In recent years, several studies across a variety of target languages (e.g., Chinese, French, and Spanish) have demonstrated that students who study abroad acquire target-like patterns of variation. In Spanish-speaking contexts, recent research has moved beyond investigating the acquisition of features specific to Spain to examine that of features used in immersion contexts such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina. Nevertheless, many of these studies either rely on quantitative variationist analysis or implement qualitative analysis of one or two target dialectal features. In addition, learner omission and expression of pronominal subjects in these contexts have been largely underexplored. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study not only quantitatively examines learners’ production of several features of Buenos Aires Spanish, including sheísmo/zheísmo, /s/-weakening, voseo, and subject pronoun expression, but it also qualitatively relates the production of these features to learners’ experiences during a five-month semester in Argentina. It aims to answer the following research questions: When and to what degree do three English-speaking students studying abroad for five months in Buenos Aires, Argentina acquire target-like production of [ʃ] and/or [ʒ], s-weakening, vos, and subject pronoun expression? How do participants’ experiences, communities of practice, investments, identities, and imagined communities relate to this production? Speech data were gathered prior to, at the midpoint, and at the end of the semester by means of sociolinguistic interviews and elicitation tasks. To further understand the connection between these learners’ use of the target features and their overseas experiences, we explored the case studies of three learners of Spanish of differing proficiency levels (beginning, intermediate, and advanced) using qualitative data collected during semi-structured interviews at each interview time. The results suggest that all three learners increased their production of the prestigious, salient dialectal features of sheísmo/zheísmo and vos during the sojourn and that the amount of increase was greater at each proficiency level. While the beginning and intermediate learners did not move toward target-like norms in their use of the often-stigmatized, less salient, variable features of /s/-weakening and subject pronoun expression, the advanced learner did. As such, stigma, salience, and variability, as well as proficiency level, may play a role in the acquisition of variable features. Learners’ investment in the target language and participation in local communities of practice increased at each proficiency level as well, and learners’ imagined communities beyond their study abroad experiences were related to their identity construction and linguistic choices abroad. Full article

One of the most widely used strategies for learning support is the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), due to the variety of applications and benefits they provide in the educational field. This article describes the design and implementation of an immersive application supported by Senso gloves and 3D environments for learning English as a second language in Ecuador. The following steps should be considered for the app design: (1) the creation of a classroom with characteristics similar to a real classroom and different buttons to navigate through the scenarios; (2) the creation of a virtual environment where text, images, examples, and audio are added according to the grammatical topic; (3) the creation of a dynamic environment for assessment in which multiple choice questions are interacted with, followed by automatic grading with direct feedback. The results showed that the interaction between the physical and virtual environment through navigation tests with the glove in different 3D environments achieved a complete activation and navigation rate. Teachers showed a clear interest in using the application in their classes as an additional teaching tool to complement the English language teaching process, given that it can increase motivation and memorization in students, as it is an easy-to-use application, and the 3D environments designed are attractive, which would make classes more dynamic. In addition, the availability of the application at any place and time represents a support for the current academic community as it adapts to the needs of today’s world. Full article

The evolving potential of virtual reality and the Metaverse to create immersive, engaging learning experiences and of digital escape room games to provide opportunities for active, autonomous, personalised learning has brought both to the forefront for educators seeking to transform traditional educational settings. This study investigated the impact of collaboration within a virtual reality serious escape room game in the Metaverse that was designed for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners to explore how this approach influences their academic performance and overall learning experience. A comparative research approach was adopted using twenty (n = 20) adult learners divided into two equal-sized groups; the experimental group completed the virtual reality escape room in pairs, while the control group completed it individually. Mixed methods were employed, utilising a pre- and post-test to measure academic performance, as well as a questionnaire and two focus groups to evaluate participants’ learning experiences. Results indicated a trend of learners working collaboratively showing better learning outcomes and experience, offering valuable insights regarding the integration of serious Metaverse games in language-focused educational contexts. Full article

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, characterized by bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, and postural instability. These symptoms often lead to significant postural deformities and an increased risk of falls, severely impacting the quality of life. Conventional rehabilitation methods have shown benefits, but recent advancements suggest that virtual reality (VR) could offer a promising alternative. This scoping review aims to analyze the current literature to evaluate the effectiveness of VR in the postural rehabilitation of patients with PD. A scientific literature search was performed using the following databases: PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane, and Google Scholar, focusing on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English. Our selection criteria included studies that compared VR-based rehabilitation to traditional methods regarding posture-related outcomes. We identified and analyzed nine RCTs that met our inclusion criteria. The results consistently demonstrated that VR-based rehabilitation leads to greater improvements in balance and gait compared to conventional therapy. Key findings include significant enhancements in balance confidence and postural control and a reduction in fall rates. The superior efficacy of VR-based rehabilitation can be attributed to its engaging and immersive nature, which enhances patient motivation and adherence to therapy. VR allows for precise, repeatable training scenarios tailored to individual patient needs, providing a safe environment to practice and improve motor skills. In conclusion, VR-based rehabilitation represents an innovative approach with substantial potential to improve the quality of life for PD patients. However, limitations such as small sample sizes and short intervention durations in existing studies highlight the need for larger multicenter trials with longer follow-up periods to confirm these findings. Full article

Imagine a future where language is no longer a barrier to real-time conversations, enabling instant and lifelike communication across the globe. As cultural boundaries blur, the demand for seamless multilingual communication has become a critical technological challenge. This paper addresses the lack of robust solutions for real-time face-to-face translation, particularly for low-resource languages, by introducing a comprehensive framework that not only translates language but also replicates voice nuances and synchronized facial expressions. Our research tackles the primary challenge of achieving accurate lip synchronization across culturally diverse languages, filling a significant gap in the literature by evaluating the generalizability of lip sync models beyond English. Specifically, we develop a novel evaluation framework combining quantitative lip sync error metrics and qualitative assessments by human observers. This framework is applied to assess two state-of-the-art lip sync models with different architectures for Turkish, Persian, and Arabic languages, using a newly collected dataset. Based on these findings, we propose and implement a modular system that integrates language-agnostic lip sync models with neural networks to deliver a fully functional face-to-face translation experience. Inference Time Analysis shows this system achieves highly realistic, face-translated talking heads in real time, with a throughput as low as 0.381 s. This transformative framework is primed for deployment in immersive environments such as VR/AR, Metaverse ecosystems, and advanced video conferencing platforms. It offers substantial benefits to developers and businesses aiming to build next-generation multilingual communication systems for diverse applications. While this work focuses on three languages, its modular design allows scalability to additional languages. However, further testing in broader linguistic and cultural contexts is required to confirm its universal applicability, paving the way for a more interconnected and inclusive world where language ceases to hinder human connection. Full article