From experience to empathy: An empathetic VR-based learning approach to improving EFL learners’ empathy and writing performance

English as a foreign language (EFL) writing is vital in interpersonal and cross-cultural communication. Writing refers to a complicated, dispersed, dialogic, and mediated process of discovery and creation, generally considered to be one of the most challenging skills for EFL learners. Nowadays, some students struggle to create words that resonate with readers since they lack real-life experience and empathy cultivation. Virtual reality (VR) not only provides realistic experiences but is also known as the “ultimate empathy machine.” Therefore, this study proposed an empathetic VR-based learning (E-VRL) approach to provide learners with access to authentic experiences and further promote learner empathy. To assess the validity of this approach, 63 junior high school students were recruited to participate in a quasi-experiment, and were randomly divided into an experimental group (EG) which used the E-VRL approach and a control group (CG) which used the VR-based learning (VRL) approach. The results showed that the E-VRL approach improved students’ cognitive empathy and dialogic empathy more than the VRL approach. Additionally, it was found that students in the EG outperformed those in the CG in terms of the use of ideas and content, word choice, and voice in their writing. This study proves the efficacy of the presented E-VRL approach, and provides valuable insights for future research on the design of VR-based EFL writing activities and VR environments.