Effects of Virtual Instructor’s Facial Expressions in a 3D Game on Japanese Language Learning

Previous research has shown that student-teacher interaction is very important in motivating students to learn a second language. However, it is unclear whether facial expression, which is one of the most important elements of interaction, affects in-game language learning motivation. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the facial expressions of the other party, in this case, the in-game virtual instructors, will influence the language learning process for L2 Japanese students. The researchers of this study developed four conditions for a 3D animated Japanese role-playing game. In each condition of the game, only one facial expression was assigned to the virtual characters: neutral, happy, sad, or angry. Eighty-four college students from 200/300 level Japanese courses participated in the study voluntarily. Participants played a version of the game that was assigned to them randomly and then answered a questionnaire concerning language learning. The findings of this research suggested that the virtual characters’ in-game facial expressions had no significant effect on participants’ language learning. However, significant effects on language learning were found regarding years of learning Japanese and gender. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.