Effects of an immersive virtual reality‐based classroom on students’ learning performance in science lessons

Abstract The increased availability and development of immersive technologies have given students growing opportunities to engage in different educational subjects. However, there is a lack of empirical research exploring the educational influence of using Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) in science classrooms. To address this gap, this study developed a series of IVR‐based science lessons for middle‐school students and further examined these lessons’ effects on learning performance. Our quasi‐experimental approach employed a pretest and posttest to measure academic achievement and questionnaires to measure engagement and technology acceptance. A total of 90 sixth‐grade students from two classes were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group engaged with the science lessons using Head‐Mounted Displays, whereas the control group learned the same material through traditional teaching methods. The results revealed that the experimental group obtained significantly higher academic achievement and engagement scores (cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social) than the control group. Moreover, the experimental group had a high level of technology acceptance for IVR usage in classrooms. Our study provides empirical evidence for IVR’s use in science education. Furthermore, it also sheds light on how to develop and implement an IVR‐based classroom for formal educational purposes. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic? Virtual Reality (VR) technology has been applied to different educational subjects and there is some empirical evidence indicating its potential benefits for students’ learning. VR is considered to have potential for educational uses in classrooms. Many studies have applied non‐immersive VR to science subjects, but few have focused on the use of Immersive VR (IVR) in everyday classrooms. What this paper adds We developed and implemented an IVR‐based teaching platform containing a set of systematic science lessons that students can engage in with Head‐Mounted Displays in classrooms. The results revealed that adopting IVR science lessons in the classroom can improve students’ academic achievement and engagement. Implications for practice and/or policy This study contributes to identifying the positive influences of an IVR‐based classroom on students’ science academic achievement and engagement. The results provide practical insights into developing and implementing an IVR‐based classroom for educational purposes. This study offers a concrete example of using IVR in middle‐school classrooms for formal science education.