Communication and avatar representation during role-playing in second life virtual world

This study investigated the use of verbal and nonverbal communication tools avatar representation in Second Life virtual world. Students' responses to a questionnaire and interviews were analyzed. Results showed that students found that discourse tools, such as private message and call, very useful to increase their communication with peers and get feedback from the instructor. Moreover, majority of the participants found the use of peers' gestures. Furthermore, results suggest that different avatars reflect peers' inner personalities increased students' communication with peers.