Integrating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for intercultural understanding: Exploring cultures and art through emerging technologies

Migration and globalization have exerted a significant influence on the field of education. Pre-service art teachers face the need for intercultural understanding in order to design suitable lessons for their K–12 students. As a novel approach to addressing the potential to utilize tools within the realm of intercultural education, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies have been integrated into intercultural education and visual art. This integration offers immersive and interactive experiences that traverse the boundaries between physical, virtual and augmented realities. This study explores the impact of utilizing VR and AR tools for pre-service teachers to examine and appreciate the works of Asian artists through an intercultural lens, with a particular focus on students’ comprehension of intercultural education, development of novel artistic abilities and utilization of their own bodies as artistic mediums.