Effectiveness of immersive virtual reality interventions for l2 english oral communication: a systematic review

Abstract

Speaking is one of the most demanding skills for English learners, who often lack authentic, low-anxiety opportunities to practise oral communication. This systematic review synthesises empirical evidence on immersive virtual reality (VR) for L2 English speaking and oral communication. Following PRISMA 2020, searches of Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect identified 948 records; after 11 duplicates were removed, 937 records were screened, 162 full texts were assessed, and 24 empirical studies published between 2021 and 2025 were included. Eligible studies examined English-speaking or oral-communication outcomes in EFL/ESL/ESP learners using immersive VR and were appraised with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT 2018). Because the included studies differed substantially in design, outcomes, instruments, and reporting, findings were synthesised narratively and thematically rather than pooled statistically. The corpus was dominated by mixed-methods and quasi-experimental studies and was concentrated in Asian higher-education contexts. Across the 24 studies, confidence, willingness to communicate, and engagement showed the most consistently positive descriptive pattern, whereas effects on measured oral proficiency and speaking anxiety were mixed. The evidence therefore supports task-based, scaffolded, and socially supported VR use, while cautioning against equating positive perceptions with demonstrated proficiency gains. Formal inter-rater agreement statistics were not recorded in the original review and are identified as a methodological limitation.