## 3 Results
### Focus Group Results  
The results from the two focus groups revealed that half of the participants had played an escape room game before (Figure 11), but never online and not for educational purposes. Regarding their level of familiarity with VR, participants from both groups reported that they were familiar with the notion, but none of them had ever tried immersive VR. Even though some participants had played online games that incorporated elements of VR in 3D environments, most were unsure about whether their previous experiences qualified as true virtual reality. Overall, they were overwhelmingly positive about the VRER experience, with both individual (I) and paired (P) participants expressing excitement and enthusiasm. Those in the pair condition, in particular, reported higher levels of enjoyment, possibly due to the social and interactive aspects of working together. Participants who worked individually  
Figure 9: Questionnaire results on motivation. also had very positive comments about the experience, focusing on the gamified nature of the escape room. (P): \"It was amazing. I wish teachers would do something like that when we were at school\". (P): \"I had so much fun. It is actually the first time ever that I was so motivated to do something related to English\". (I): \"Wow... It was awesome. I was so invested in the plot\". (I): \"I had never imagined you could play an escape room online and make it so exciting\". Both groups felt involved in the learning process, but the pair participants reported a deeper sense of engagement, similar to the results from the questionnaire, while also reporting high levels of motivation within this context. For individuals, the experience was engaging, but they occasionally reported the absence of social interaction. Figure 11: Participants’ experience with escape rooms. Figure 10: Questionnaire results on satisfaction. (P): \"I was super motivated because [my partner] kept pushing me to think harder\". (P): \"It was very engaging. So much better than just sitting in a classroom and listening to a teacher\". (I): \"Typically escape rooms are for teams. I missed having someone else there. I don't think having too many people would have worked out because it was online, but like one or two more\". On the contrary, there were also individual participants who preferred working alone and would not have wanted anyone else in the room. They even stated that working alone gave them a bigger sense of accomplishment. (I): \"It was so much better working alone. I took my time [...]. And I didn't have anyone to disagree or argue with\". (I): \"Now, I managed to escape on my own and I am very proud of myself. I don't think I would have felt the same sense of accomplishment if I had worked in a team\". In terms of participants' learning effectiveness, both pairs and individuals reported positive results. Particularly, learners in pairs focused on the implicit learning that took place while playing the VRER. Individual learners also perceived the experience to be useful in helping them acquire new knowledge, with one participant stating that they were not sure if they would be able to retain that knowledge. (P): \"You learn without realising it\". (I): \"Yeah, I think it helped actually learn the new vocabulary. Don't ask me if I'll remember it in a month. Probably not... But still, it was helpful\". Regarding the challenges participants faced while playing, some technical issues were reported by both groups, at times disrupting immersion. There were also some recommendations for improving the experience. (P): \"I wish I could see the timer the whole time we were in the room\". (I): \"At times, it was too quiet. Some background music or some more sound effects would have helped\". All in all, participants of both groups seem to have had a positive experience, with learners in pairs reporting on it with more enthusiasm, highlighting the positive aspects of working with a teammate.