The Development of an Online Game-Based Simulation for the Training of English Language Teachers in Virtual Environments

Virtual simulation training has gained in usage in various educational fields and offers the potential to support and reinforce learning goals when practical experience is not possible. Teaching practice experience in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom is critical, yet frequently unobtainable for students in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)/English Language Teaching (ELT) Masters programmes. This paper describes the design, development, and evaluation of a gamified simulation prototype, "Virtual EFL Classroom," that was built to offer teaching practice opportunities to students in such programmes. Eleven Masters students enrolled in the ELT programme at Trinity College Dublin took part in this study. Findings indicate that participants enjoyed active experimentation in "Virtual EFL Classroom" and that it has the potential to enhance student-teachers' decision-making skills, flexibility, and adaptability in planning and teaching learner-centred lessons. [For the complete volume, "CALL for Widening Participation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2020 (28th, Online, August 20-21, 2020)," see ED610330.]