Influencing factors of Generation Z students’ adoption of metaverse-based English learning in higher education: An integrated model

A New Way to Learn English Online

The idea of stepping into a virtual world to practice English with classmates and teachers sounds like science fiction, yet this is exactly what the metaverse promises. For Generation Z students, who grew up with smartphones and social media, such immersive spaces could turn language practice from a chore into an engaging, social experience. This study asks a simple question that matters to parents, educators, and students alike: what really makes young people willing to use metaverse tools to learn English, and what actually gets them to log in and keep using them?

Why Virtual Worlds Matter for Language Learning

In many countries, English is learned as a foreign language, and students often lack chances to speak and listen in real-life situations. The metaverse offers shared virtual environments where learners can move around, talk with others, and experience simulated real-world scenes, from ordering food in a café to giving a presentation. Despite this promise, real classroom use is still rare, especially in English courses. Previous research has focused more on science and medical training than on language learning. The authors of this study set out to fill that gap by examining how Chinese university students from Gen Z respond to metaverse-based English learning.

How the Researchers Studied Gen Z Students

The team combined three well-known ideas about why people accept new technologies. One looks at whether a tool seems useful and easy to use. Another adds the role of friends, teachers, and available support. A third highlights personal traits such as confidence with technology and willingness to try new things. Together, these perspectives capture technological, social, and psychological influences. The researchers designed a questionnaire with 46 items and surveyed 538 Gen Z students at two universities and two vocational colleges in China who were preparing for high-stakes English tests. Using a statistical technique called structural equation modelling, they traced how these different influences link to students’ feelings, intentions, and actual use of metaverse tools.

What Shapes Students’ Views and Intentions

The results show that some factors are much more powerful than others. Students who believe they can handle technology well (self-efficacy) tend to see metaverse tools as more useful and easier to use, and they feel more positive about them overall. Enjoyment also matters: when the metaverse feels fun and engaging, it boosts both attitudes and the intention to use it. Seeing clear learning benefits strongly improves attitudes, but does not directly push students to intend to use the tools, perhaps because many are still unsure how metaverse lessons fit into their daily study routine. Social surroundings are important too. Support from peers and teachers, along with good technical conditions, makes students more likely to plan to use metaverse platforms, even if these supports do not strongly change how they feel about the technology itself.

The Step from Intention to Real Use

Personal openness to new technologies plays a key role. Students who enjoy experimenting with fresh digital tools show much stronger intentions to try metaverse-based English learning. These positive intentions, in turn, almost single-handedly drive actual use. Put simply, if students firmly decide they want to use metaverse tools, they are very likely to follow through. Positive overall impressions of metaverse learning also feed into both intention and real use, but more modestly than expected. Interestingly, worries about risks such as privacy or security do not yet have a clear impact on either attitudes or intentions, possibly because most students have limited hands-on experience with such platforms.

What This Means for the Future of English Classes

For universities and developers, the message is clear. To make metaverse-based English learning a regular part of higher education, it is not enough to provide shiny virtual worlds. Students need chances to build confidence with the tools, experience genuine enjoyment, and see that these environments help them progress toward real goals such as language tests or communication skills. Support from teachers and institutions can gently steer students toward trying these tools, while early adopters with a taste for innovation can help pave the way. As metaverse technologies mature, this study suggests that nurturing positive intentions and experiences among Gen Z students will be the key to turning an exciting idea into everyday classroom practice.

Citation: Xie, J., Al-Shaibani, G.K.S. & Bilal Ali, M.B. Influencing factors of Generation Z students’ adoption of metaverse-based English learning in higher education: An integrated model. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 13, 730 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06962-1

Keywords: metaverse, English learning, Generation Z, technology acceptance, virtual education