A living systematic review of the use of Metaverse in L2 English education

Metaverse, with its etymology of ‘meta’ and ‘universe,' has been undergoing burgeoning development, revolutionizing the rituals of classroom-based L2 English educational practices. It creates a physical-virtual blended environment that engages L2 learners in lived, immersive, multisensory meaning-making experiences. Its enormous potential in educational applications has excited L2 pedagogical innovators, yet its diverse applications in L2 English education in the Global South call for the need to theorize a framework of factors influencing the effectiveness of Metaverse-based L2 development. This chapter aims to conduct a living systematic review to synthesize and analyze existing research on the Metaverse in the L2 English educational field to facilitate research-informed decisions regarding Metaverse-mediated English pedagogies. We reviewed a total of 14 journal articles published between 2018 and 2023 and included keywords such as ‘Metaverse,' ‘L2 education,' and ‘English learning’ on Scopus and Google Scholar. Then, we evaluated the keyword analysis of articles based on the reporting criteria of the PRISMA Protocol 2020. Finally, the review concluded with the opportunities and challenges of using the Metaverse in L2 English educational practices and the implications of teachers’ values and roles in this context.