A Learning Experience in Inquiry-Based Physics with Immersive Virtual Reality: Student Perceptions and an Interaction Effect Between Conceptual Gains and Attitudinal Profiles

Abstract

The integration of immersive virtual reality (VR) in authentic science classrooms can result in a totally new learning experience for the students. However, the effect of such a learning experience on students' conceptual learning gains and their perceptions of the experience, while considering students' pre-existing science-and digital technologies-related attitudinal profiles, has not been explored to date. In this study, we have enacted a 90-min technology-enhanced inquiry-based intervention with high-school students (n = 107), on the topic of the Special Theory of Relativity in a Physics course, using a learning experience design, structured around an immersive VR simulation. Firstly, we aimed at examining students' attitudinal profiles and, secondly, at exploring the potential differences of those profiles in relation to conceptual learning gains and perceptions of the learning experience. A clustering analysis has revealed two attitudinal profiles: the low-attitudes profile (n = 48) included students with low science-and digital technologiesrelated attitudes, and the opposite for the high-attitudes profile (n = 59). Results from a 2 × 2 RM ANOVA indicated a statistically significant interaction between conceptual learning gains and attitudinal profiles. In addition, a one-way MANOVA test showed statistically significant differences between the two profiles in relation to students' perceptions of the learning experience, with the students of the high-attitude profile outperforming their counterparts. We discuss our findings, focusing on the implications of students' individual differences in learning and attitudes linked to the integration of immersive VR in inquiry-based instruction.

The effects of TPACK and facility condition on preservice teachers’ acceptance of virtual reality in science education course

“…Virtual reality (VR) is rapidly developing as a future interactive medium with various advantages in the educational field (Fussell & Truong, 2021;Tsivitanidou et al, 2021). Aligning with the organizational change of Facebook to Meta regarding its investment in Metaverse (Kraus et al, 2022), VR is reportedly becoming more popular in integrating classroom learning.…”

Experiences of web‐based extended reality technologies for physics education

“…The IMMS instrument, used to measure motivational factors, is largely based on the perceptions that students had during the experimental process. With this in mind, there is a possibility that students may not answer the questions seriously, or even answer inaccurately, because they may not be fully aware of what affects their motivation [42]. Thus, it is important that the items used to measure motivational factors are clear and easy to understand, considering that such questions should address aspects related to the learning content (information), the environment (presentation, presence), as well as how the learner engages (interactivity, agency) with the learning tool [9].…”

A systematic review of empirical studies using log data from open‐ended learning environments to measure science and engineering practices

“…However, there is a growing body of research that looks at inquiry and problem‐solving processes using video recordings, eye‐tracking data or other spatial data sources to create the process‐based log data of participants working with tools in physical open‐ended learning environments (Bumbacher et al, 2018; Davis et al, 2017; Radu & Schneider, 2019). Similarly, recent work examined the use of immersive virtual realities (VR) for science inquiry, which can produce rich data streams from students' interactions with the VR environment (Tsivitanidou et al, 2021). Future studies should examine to what extent the approaches and techniques that we have identified in the present study could be applied to log data generated in different platforms.…”