HangeulVR: an immersive and interactive Korean alphabet learning on virtual reality

Abstract

Learning a new foreign language promises numerous benefits, such are career advantage, culture exposure, and traveling opportunity. However, it comes with a cost of considerably significant efforts and time commitment. The challenge intensifies when dealing with languages characterized by distinctive scripts, such as Hangeul in Korean language. The requisite mastery of Hangeul characters precedes the exploration of fundamental linguistic elements, including grammar, pronunciation, speaking, and writing. In this research, we propose an innovative, immersive, and interactive methodology for Hangeul acquisition employing virtual reality (VR). Our study transports participants into a virtual environment, guided by a gamification framework designed to facilitate Hangeul learning. Participants are able to learn basic pronunciation, listening, and Hangeul writing, three fundamental aspects of learning the Korean alphabet. Empirical findings from our experiments show the potential of its usage, indicated by its system usability scale (SUS) of 74.4.