Can All Students Benefit From Virtual Reality? Evidence From Learning Outcomes and Process Data

• In Event: 66.030 - Innovations in Virtual Reality and Virtual Worlds

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess high school students’ self-regulated processes as they solved photosynthesis-related problems in an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environment. We collected concurrent think-alouds and performance measures from 36 (n = 36) students who were instructed to solve two problems. Our results found students with high prior knowledge had significantly lowered scores at immediate posttest, while students with less prior knowledge significantly increased their scores at immediate posttest. Additionally, there were no differences in the frequency of SRL processes verbalized between the groups. Our results suggest students with different levels of prior knowledge benefit differentially from VR systems and tend to use specific cognitive, metacognitive, affective, and motivational processes often used with traditional learning technologies.

Authors

• Elizabeth Brooke Cloude, University of Central Florida

• Megan Price, University of Central Florida

• Roger Azevedo, University of Central Florida

• Michelle Taub, University of Central Florida

• Nicholas Vincent Mudrick, North Carolina State University

• Karen McKenzie, Cary Academy

• MaLi Burnett, Cary Academy

• Michael McArdle, LUCID DREAM