Designing for Multilingual Conceptual Learning in Immersive VR environments: Teachers’ Didactical Strategies in Study Guidance

This study explores multilingual study guidance (MSG) teachers design for learning and the potential of immersive and interactive Virtual Reality (VR) technology to support students’ development of disciplinary knowledge through multilingual conceptual learning. Part of a co-design research project, the study draws on two teachers’ didactical designs and their creation of subject-specific VR environments, as well as their reflective evaluative discussions. Framing teaching and learning as a matter of design for learning combined with a meta-thinking framework supporting planning and evaluation of didactical designs, the participating teachers identified learning targets, how to teach, and how to organize each activity. Findings reveal that the teachers employed multimodal, dialogic, and experience-based approaches to co-construct disciplinary knowledge and language in contextually rich VR environments, stimulating critical thinking and promoting multilingual metalinguistic awareness. Despite the potential of immersive VR for inclusive and equitable learning, the study highlights a critical need for structured collaboration between MSG and subject teachers to ensure pedagogical coherence and curricular alignment. These insights contribute to the growing discourse on immersive learning design and its implications for multilingual education.