The use of virtual reality for the formation of professional communication situations in teaching foreign languages at the university

Abstract

The article considers virtual reality as an immersive educational environment capable of reproducing professionally significant communicative contexts in university foreign language teaching and thereby reducing the didactic gap between classroom practice and the dynamics of real communication. It is shown that the transition from lexico-grammatical reproduction to contextual language acquisition is based on the effect of presence and agency of the student: in VR, the student ceases to be an observer and is forced to make decisions affecting the outcome of interaction, which enhances cognitive involvement and functional interiorization of speech tools. A theoretical generalization of interdisciplinary approaches (constructivist, situational, socioconstructivist) allows us to describe VR as a platform for modeling multimodal loads of professional discourse, including the noise environment, visual interference and parallel execution of actions, as well as as a tool to reduce the affective barrier through mediated communication through an avatar and interaction with virtual interlocutors. The levels of complexity of scenarios are highlighted, from standardized scripts to unpredictable situations of argumentation, negotiation, and intercultural mediation, and technological limitations associated with incomplete naturalness of dialogue in automated speech processing are fixed. A significant place is given to pedagogical design: the effectiveness of VR is associated not with realistic graphics, but with thoughtful scenography, a balance between authenticity and cognitive load, as well as with the organization of preparation and reflection stages that transform vivid experience into a sustainable skill. The risks of technological determinism, the phenomenon of the sinister valley , psychophysiological limitations and the need for session dosing are discussed. The prospects for assessing complex competence through embedded behavior analytics and the possibilities of multi-user VR spaces for the development of collaboration and the non-verbal component of communication are separately analyzed; the conclusion is made about the priority of hybrid models and the need for industry cooperation in creating specialized content.