Into the Brave New Metaverse: Envisaging Future Language Teaching and Learning

The emergence of the Metaverse, supported by innovative technologies, especially extended reality, has opened up new possibilities for various fields of education. Some disciplines like STEM have already derived significant benefits from the immersive, interactive, and authentic learning opportunities afforded by the Metaverse. In contrast, only very few changes have been seen in language education, such as pedagogical design, technical support, and psychological endorsement in the Metaverse. To predict the future pathways of language education, the present paper aims to shed valuable light on the use of the Metaverse by discussing topics such as definitions, features, examples, and existing models. Based on this discussion, a new educational framework for language education in the Metaverse is proposed, covering five dimensions - Design, Pedagogy, Technology, Actors, and Learning. It is hoped that the framework will be of value to different educational stakeholders and provide constructive learning environments and opportunities for future language teaching and learning.