Cotton Island: Students' Learning Motivation Using a Virtual World

ABSTRACT As technology advances, it is important for teachers to seamlessly integrate technology into their innovative teaching techniques. Using virtual worlds is one alternative to traditional teaching methods that can provide rich learning experiences. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to present Cotton Island, an avatar‐based 3‐D virtual learning environment in Second Life and (b) to evaluate students’ learning motivation in using Cotton Island as a learning tool. Cotton Island was designed with unique navigational features to provide access to rich resources and educational activities that improve students’ knowledge of cotton. Based on the ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction) model, this study assesses students’ learning motivation when using Cotton Island as a learning tool, and whether students had a positive learning outcome consistent with the instructors’ goal of knowledge improvement. The results show that students had a positive experience in terms of learning motivation and knowledge improvement.