Virtual Reality to Teach Students in Laboratories: A Bibliometric and Network Analysis

The latest developments in virtual reality (VR) are gaining attention in education as they are expected to provide risk-free, hands-on learning experiences. However, the use of VR in laboratory settings is still in its early stages of adoption. Therefore, it remains unclear whether these technologies will be widely adopted to educate students in laboratories, as well as their advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional laboratories. This study aims to map the global scientific publications related to the use of VR for teaching in virtual laboratories. To achieve this, we analyze the global scientific landscape of publications related to the use of VR for teaching students in laboratories. We combined bibliometric and network analysis techniques to analyze the metadata of related research articles published between 1994 and 2022 indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. Our findings show a rising trend, with almost 65% of all articles published between 2018 and 2022. Leading journals include the Journal of Chemical Education, Computers & Education, and Computers Applications in Engineering Education. Most publications are indexed in the research areas of Education & Educational Research, Computer Science, and Engineering. The United States leads in publications, collaborating mostly with Denmark, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The University of California is the top organization in publications, with Griffith University facilitating knowledge exchange among organizations. By providing an overview of publications related to the use of VR in laboratory education, we hope that this study will be of interest to researchers, educators, and students.