Abstract:

As virtual reality headsets have become more affordable since 2015, they are increasingly being used in educational settings. Virtual reality (VR) does bring some unprecedented learning opportunities, making it a valuable instructional tool. Virtual reality technology has been used and studied widely in higher education. This scoping review aims to bring an overview of empirical studies of immersive virtual reality learning experiences in secondary education. Following the scoping review framework by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) the databases of Web of Science, Ebsco and Scopus were searched for relevant articles based on the following inclusion criteria: published from 2015 onwards, with an empirical ground, focussing on secondary education, using immersive virtual reality headsets, aimed at formal education and written in English or Dutch. From the initial 915 potentially relevant articles, only 34 studies were selected after applying the inclusion criteria. These articles were then charted and analysed in depth. Results show increasing academic interest from 2018 and most studies, integrate tethered devices and focus on STEM-related topics. Four distinct research aims could be identified: media comparison studies, studies focussing on learning gains from the VR learning experience itself, instructional design studies and studies within the authentic classroom setting. As for learning gains the virtual reality learning experience generates an increase, but not significantly higher than in non-immersive learning conditions. Students in VR conditions report higher motivation and all VR experiences were satisfactory in usability. However, a clear lack of distinct instructional design principles is identified, both in the design of the virtual reality learning experience itself as in the integration of the experience in the classroom. Future research directions are suggested.

Keywords:

Immersive virtual reality, secondary education, high school, scoping review, instructional design.