VR Exhibition Simulation for Textile Professional English: Measuring Improvements in Oral Fluency, Accuracy, and Specialized Vocabulary Use through Immersive Technology
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Abstract
Effective communication of fabric properties and technical specifications is an essential competency in the global textile industry and increasingly supports intelligent digital manufacturing environments. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality textile trade fair simulation (VRTF-Sim) for improving the professional oral English proficiency required to convey complex textile information. A pre-test/post-test controlled experiment involving sixty undergraduate Textile Engineering students was conducted. The experimental group (n = 30) interacted with a custom immersive VR platform featuring interactive 3D fabric models, AI-driven dialogue, and task-oriented communication scenarios, whereas the control group (n = 30) received conventional classroom instruction using equivalent technical content. Oral performance was assessed in terms of fluency, grammatical accuracy, and specialized textile vocabulary use. Although both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvement, the VR group achieved substantially greater gains across all evaluated metrics (p < 0.001), particularly in accurately applying terminology related to fabric composition, structural properties, and finishing technologies. The results demonstrate that immersive simulation provides an effective bridge between theoretical textile knowledge and authentic professional communication. Furthermore, the integration of virtual interaction, multimodal information presentation, and real-time human–computer communication offers methodological insights for intelligent digital exhibition systems, wearable visualization platforms, and wireless electromagnetic information environments supporting next-generation engineering education and industrial collaboration.
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