The influence of metaverse platform Gather Town and video conference platform Zoom on the class satisfaction and achievement of the students taking an online real - time TOEIC class

Abstract

This study investigated which platform had a more positive effect on the learners' class achievement when the metaverse platform Gather Town and the video conference platform Zoom were used for online real - time lectures, and whether there was a difference in the degree of the learners' satisfaction with each platform. One hundred and thirty eight college students took a five - session online real - time class during the fall semester of 2021. The students were divided into the Gather Town group and the Zoom group. To investigate the class achievement, each group took a vocabulary test and a comprehension quiz during the class. The scores of the Gather Town group were significantly higher than those of the Zoom group in the test and quiz. In addition, a survey was conducted to investigate the learners' satisfaction with each platform. The Gather Town group cited promoting students' interest in class and interaction as the merit of the platform, and connection problems as the demerit. The Zoom group cited convenience as the merit of the platform, and a decrease in class concentration as the demerit.