Cover not available
Article published In:
Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 44:3 (2021) ► pp.289–308

Variation in experiencing boredom during self-directed learning in a virtual world

The case of one English major

ORCID logo | University of Zielona Góra

The paper presents the results of a study that aimed to investigate fluctuations in the levels of boredom in the virtual world of Second Life (SL) and factors accounting for such changes as reported by a single student of English philology. The participant took part in 15 sessions over the period of one summer semester. The learner was free to explore the virtual world in question, and she self-directed her own learning there. Using data collected by means of a set of research instruments (i.e., a background questionnaire, the Learning Style Survey, a session log, and a semi-structured interview), the study found that the student’s experience of boredom was subject to some changes both in single sessions and from one visit to another. These fluctuations in boredom levels were affected by such factors as meeting the same interlocutors, scarcity of conversation topics, monotonous conversations, group chats or visits that the student perceived as not being beneficial for her language development.

Keywords: boredom in language learning, fluctuations in self-perceived boredom levels, case study, Second Life, self-directed learning, informal learning
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Boredom and its causes
    • 2.2Types of boredom
    • 2.3Virtual worlds
    • 2.4Language learners’ experience of boredom in traditional contextsand virtual worlds
  • 3.The study
    • 3.1Research questions
    • 3.2The student
    • 3.3Procedures, data collection and analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Fluctuations in boredom levels during sessions
    • 4.2Variation in boredom levels from one session to another
    • 4.3Narratives
    • 4.4The interview
  • 5.Discussion and conclusions
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 6 August 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.19050.kru
References
Barnett, L. A., & Klitzing, S. W.
(2006) Boredom in free time: Relationships with personality, affect, and motivation for different gender, racial, and ethnic student groups. Leisure Science, 281, 223–244. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bench, S. W., & Lench, H. C.
(2013) On the function of boredom. Behavioral Science, 3(3), 459–472. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chapman, K. E.
(2013) Boredom in the German foreign language classroom. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison.Google Scholar
Cohen, A. D., Oxford, R. L., & Chi, J. C.
(2002) Learning style survey. Retrieved from [URL]
Damrad-Frye, R., & Laird, J. D.
(1989) The experience of boredom: The role of the self-perception of attention. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 57(2), 315–320. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Daschmann, E. C., Goetz, T., & Stupnisky, R. H.
(2011) Testing the predictors of boredom at school: Development and validation of the precursors to boredom scales. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 811, 421–440. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Deutschmann, M., & Panichi, L.
(2013) Towards models for designing language learning in virtual worlds. International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE), 4(2), 65–84. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Eastwood, J. D., Cavaliere, C., Fahlman, S. A., & Eastwood, A. E.
(2007) A desire for desires: Boredom and its relation to alexithymia. Personality and Individual Differences, 42(6), 1035–1045. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Eastwood, J. D., Frischen, A., Fenske, M. J., & Smilek, D.
(2012) The unengaged mind: Defining boredom in terms of attention. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(5), 482–495. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fahlman, S. A.
(2009) Development and validation of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ottawa: York University.Google Scholar
Goetz, T., Frenzel, A. C., Hall, N. C., Nett, U. E., Pekrun, R., & Lipnevich, A. A.
(2014) An experience sampling approach. Motivation and Emotion, 38(3), 401–419. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, Y. K., Eastwood, J. D., LaGuardia, J., & Danckert, J.
(2011) Boredom: An emotional experience distinct from apathy, anhedonia, or depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 30(6), 647–666. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Harris, M. B.
(2000) Correlates and characteristics of boredom proneness and boredom. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 301, 576–598. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hill, A. B., & Perkins, R. E.
(1985) Towards a model of boredom. British Journal of Psychology, 76(2), 235–240. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jauregi, K., Canto, S., de Graaf, R., Koenraad, T., & Moonen, M.
(2011) Verbal interaction in Second Life: Towards a pedagogic framework for task design. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 24(1), 77–101. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kartal, G., & Balçıkanlı, C.
(2019) The effects of Second Life on the motivation of EFL student teachers. In M. Kruk (Ed.), Assessing the effectiveness of virtual technologies in foreign and second language instruction (pp. 86–114). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kruk, M.
(2016a) Variations in motivation, anxiety and boredom in learning English in Second Life. The EuroCALL Review, 24(1), 25–39. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2016b) Investigating the changing nature of boredom in the English language classroom: Results of a study. In A. Dłutek & D. Pietrzak (Eds.), Nowy wymiar filologii [New dimensions of philology] (pp. 252–263). Płock: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Państwowej Wyższej Szkoły Zawodowej w Płocku.Google Scholar
(2016c) Temporal fluctuations in foreign language motivation: Results of a longitudinal study. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 4(2), 1–17.Google Scholar
(2018) Changes in foreign language anxiety: A classroom perspective. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 28(1), 31–57. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kruk, M., & Zawodniak, J.
(2017) Nuda a praktyczna nauka języka angielskiego [Boredom in practical English language classes]. Neofilolog, 49(1), 115–131. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2018) Boredom in practical English language classes: Insights from interview data. In L. Szymański, J. Zawodniak, A. Łobodziec, & M. Smoluk (Eds.), Interdisciplinary views on the English language, literature and culture (pp. 177–191). Zielona Góra: Uniwersytet Zielonogórski.Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D.
(2016) Classroom-oriented research from a complex systems perspective. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 6(3), 377–393. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Larson, R. W., & Richards, M. H.
(1991) Boredom in the middle school years: Blaming schools versus blaming students. American Journal of Education, 99(4), 418–433. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
LePera, N.
(2011) Relationships between boredom proneness, mindfulness, anxiety, depression and substance use. The New Psychology Bulletin, 8(2), 15–25.Google Scholar
Macklem, G. L.
(2015) Boredom in the classroom: Addressing student motivation, self-regulation, and engagement in learning. New York: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mercer-Lynn, K. B., Bar, R. J., & Eastwood, J. D.
(2014) Causes of boredom: The person, the situation, or both? Personality and Individual Differences, 561, 122–126. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mystkowska-Wiertelak, A.
(2018) Fluctuations in willingness to communicate during a semester: A case study. The Language Learning Journal. Advance online publication. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nett, U. E., Goetz, T., & Hall, N. C.
(2011) Coping with boredom in school: An experience sampling perspective. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 361, 49–59. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pawlak, M.
(2012) The dynamic nature of motivation in language learning: A classroom perspective. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2(2), 249–278. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pekrun, R.
(2006) The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 315–341. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Daniels, L. M., Stupnisky, R. H., & Perry, R. P.
(2010) Boredom in achievement settings: Exploring control-value antecedents and performance outcomes of a neglected emotion. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 531–549. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pekrun, R., & Linnenbrink-Garcia, L.
(2012) Academic emotions and student engagement. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 259–282). New York, NY: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Peterson, M.
(2005) Learning interaction in an avatar-based virtual environment: A preliminary study. PacCALL Journal, 1(1), 29–40.Google Scholar
(2006) Learner interaction management in an avatar and chat-based virtual world. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 19(1), 79–103. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Peterson, M., Wang, Q., & Mirzaei, M. S.
(2019) The use of network-based virtual worlds in second language education: A research review. In M. Kruk (Ed.), Assessing the effectiveness of virtual technologies in foreign and second language instruction (pp. 1–25). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Plucker, J. A., Robinson, N. M., Greenspon, T. S., Feldhusen, J. F., McCoach, D. B., & Subotnik, R. F.
(2004) It’s not how the pond makes you feel, but rather how high you can jump. American Psychologist, 591, 268–269. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Preckel, F., Götz, T., & Frenzel, A.
(2010) Ability grouping of gifted students: Effect on academic self-concept and boredom. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(3), 451–472. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Topol, P.
(2011) Nowe obszary edukacji – trójwymiarowe światy wirtualne [New educational dimensions – three dimensional virtual worlds]. In A. Cybal-Michalska, W. Segiet, & D. Kopeć (Eds.), Studia z pedagogiki i nauk pogranicza [Studies in pedagogy and related disciplines] (pp. 63–78). Poznań: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM.Google Scholar
(2013) Funkcjonalność edukacyjna światów wirtualnych [Educational functionality of virtual worlds]. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM.Google Scholar
Tze, V. M. C., Daniels, L. M., Klassen, R. M., & Li, J. C. H.
(2013) Canadian and Chinese university students’ approaches to coping with academic boredom. Learning and Individual Differences, 231, 32–43. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Vogel-Walcutt, J., Fiorell, L., Carper, T., & Schatz, S.
(2012) The definition, assessment, and mitigation of state boredom within educational settings: A comprehensive review. Educational Psychology Review, 24(1), 89–111. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Waninge, F., Z. Dörnyei, & K. de Bot
(2014) Motivational dynamics in language learning: Change, stability, and context. The Modern Language Journal, 98(3), 704–723. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wigham, C., & Chanier, T.
(2013) A study of verbal and nonverbal communication in Second Life – the ARCHI21 experience. ReCALL, 25(1), 63–84. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wigham, C., Panichi, L., Nocchi, S., & Sadler, R.
(2018) Interactions for language learning in and around virtual worlds. ReCALL, 30(2), 153–160. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 3 other publications

Elahi Shirvan, Majid, Elham Yazdanmehr, Tahereh Taherian, Mariusz Kruk & Mirosław Pawlak
2021. Boredom in practical English language classes: a longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis-curve of factors model. Applied Linguistics Review 0:0 DOI logo
Kruk, Mariusz, Mirosław Pawlak, Majid Elahi Shirvan, Tahereh Taherian & Elham Yazdanmehr
2022. A longitudinal study of foreign language enjoyment and boredom: A latent growth curve modeling. Language Teaching Research ► pp. 136216882210823 ff. DOI logo
王, 建
2022. An Overview of the Empirical Research on Foreign Language Learning Boredom (from 2013 to 2022). Advances in Social Sciences 11:10 ► pp. 4199 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 10 september 2023. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.