Evaluating the Affordance and Intellectual Structures of 3D Virtual World Language Learning: A Co-citation Analysis Considering SLA Interdisciplinary Connection

Evaluating the Affordance and Intellectual Structures of 3D Virtual World Language Learning: A Co-citation Analysis Considering SLA Interdisciplinary Connection | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Evaluating the Affordance and Intellectual Structures of 3D Virtual World Language Learning: A Co-citation Analysis Considering SLA Interdisciplinary Connection Chien-pang Wang, Zhangzhi Yin, Ruyi Ping, Xiaozhou Song This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7297323/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study evaluates the affordance of 3D virtual world language learning (3DVWLL) by using the co-citation approach. Previous studies report the effective implementation affordance regarding immersive learning experiences, communicative language strategies, and a versatile integration of digital learning materials (Lin & Lan, 2015 ; Reisoğlu et al., Avgousti, 2018; AUTHOR & COLLEAGUE, 2020). However, a unified account is still required to explain the diverse and incoherent achievements the reviews demonstrate. The objectives of the current study are two-fold. The first one serves to depict the intellectual structure among the core studies of this field and to recognize the theoretical roots in comparison to SLA’s intellectual structure (Zheng, 2019). The second one is to provide pedagogical norms for language education as a resource for evaluating teaching plans when practitioners integrate 3DVWs into course designs. The methods of co-citation analysis include (i) document co-citation analysis (DCA) to identify the associations among studies within a discipline and (ii) social network analysis (SNA) to represent the complex relationships among research streams. The results revealed a well-established intellectual structure of the 3DVWLL research field, comprising highly co-cited pairs and research streams from 2000 to 2024. Such findings indicate high scholarly collaboration among researchers, based on the cascaded linkage among issues revealed through document co-citation analysis and the primary and isolated components identified through social network analysis. The results of the co-citation analysis substantiated the philosophical roots of learning cognition, pedagogical ecology, and their relation to SLA theories. The study further proposes three implementing principles for task design, learning activities, and learning cognition. To conclude, 3DVWs not only represent a practical technological resource in language pedagogy but also contribute to the theoretical development of SLA. Social science/Education Business and commerce/Information systems and information technology Humanities/Language and linguistics Social science/Language and linguistics 3D virtual worlds language learning co-citation analysis second language acquisition literature review Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 23 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 19 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 26 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 25 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 17 Sep, 2025 Editor invited by journal 12 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 24 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 24 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7297323","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":524836221,"identity":"04b0733e-d2eb-4ef1-b213-c389ec07fb85","order_by":0,"name":"Chien-pang Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Guangzhou Institute of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chien-pang","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":524836222,"identity":"f1f20cd3-91f4-4e94-aeea-5addb39fa50b","order_by":1,"name":"Zhangzhi Yin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Hubei Polytechnic 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Connection","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"humanities-and-social-sciences-communications","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"palcomms","sideBox":"Learn more about [Humanities \u0026 Social Sciences Communications](http://www.nature.com/palcomms/)","snPcode":"41599","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41599/3","title":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Nature AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"3D virtual worlds, language learning, co-citation analysis, second language acquisition, literature review","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7297323/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7297323/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study evaluates the affordance of 3D virtual world language learning (3DVWLL) by using the co-citation approach. Previous studies report the effective implementation affordance regarding immersive learning experiences, communicative language strategies, and a versatile integration of digital learning materials (Lin \u0026amp; Lan, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Reisoğlu et al., Avgousti, 2018; AUTHOR \u0026amp; COLLEAGUE, 2020). However, a unified account is still required to explain the diverse and incoherent achievements the reviews demonstrate. The objectives of the current study are two-fold. The first one serves to depict the intellectual structure among the core studies of this field and to recognize the theoretical roots in comparison to SLA\u0026rsquo;s intellectual structure (Zheng, 2019). The second one is to provide pedagogical norms for language education as a resource for evaluating teaching plans when practitioners integrate 3DVWs into course designs. The methods of co-citation analysis include (i) document co-citation analysis (DCA) to identify the associations among studies within a discipline and (ii) social network analysis (SNA) to represent the complex relationships among research streams. The results revealed a well-established intellectual structure of the 3DVWLL research field, comprising highly co-cited pairs and research streams from 2000 to 2024. Such findings indicate high scholarly collaboration among researchers, based on the cascaded linkage among issues revealed through document co-citation analysis and the primary and isolated components identified through social network analysis. The results of the co-citation analysis substantiated the philosophical roots of learning cognition, pedagogical ecology, and their relation to SLA theories. The study further proposes three implementing principles for task design, learning activities, and learning cognition. To conclude, 3DVWs not only represent a practical technological resource in language pedagogy but also contribute to the theoretical development of SLA.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Evaluating the Affordance and Intellectual Structures of 3D Virtual World Language Learning: A Co-citation Analysis Considering SLA Interdisciplinary Connection","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-07 14:15:21","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7297323/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-11-23T17:18:40+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-19T22:02:38+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-09-26T07:25:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"83675055079038626546286811013287300157","date":"2025-09-26T03:15:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"145094040513145360859198413186465956169","date":"2025-09-25T15:36:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-09-25T07:44:25+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-09-17T10:11:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-09-12T12:38:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-08-24T15:41:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","date":"2025-08-24T15:37:35+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"humanities-and-social-sciences-communications","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"palcomms","sideBox":"Learn more about [Humanities \u0026 Social Sciences Communications](http://www.nature.com/palcomms/)","snPcode":"41599","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41599/3","title":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Nature AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5ac9ef07-bd54-4def-8a47-e983f23f97e7","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 7th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":55782547,"name":"Social science/Education"},{"id":55782548,"name":"Business and commerce/Information systems and information technology"},{"id":55782549,"name":"Humanities/Language and linguistics"},{"id":55782550,"name":"Social science/Language and linguistics"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-16T01:08:16+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-07 14:15:21","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7297323","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7297323","identity":"rs-7297323","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}