Abstract
Due to globalization, emerging technologies, and the knowledge economy, there has been a growing emphasis on students having global competencies and perspectives to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world. On the other hand, a variety of technologies have been adopted for inquiry-based learning (IBL) activities. An interactive e-book environment can provide an interface with multimedia for promoting meaningful learning. Virtual reality (VR) can support situated learning by placing learners in an interactive realistic-like environment for promoting student learning. The sense of presence in the environment enhances motivational variables, thereby impacting learning achievements. However, rare exploratory research methods have been used to investigate the sense of presence and academic performance, representing a significant research gap. Thus, we designed a VR-assisted inquiry-based learning (VR-IBL) approach to enhance students’ learning. Furthermore, a quasi-experimental design setting was carried out to investigate the influences of the implemented approach on students’ learning effectiveness, compared to an e-book-assisted inquiry-based learning (eB-IBL) approach. The experimental results evidenced that the VR-IBL approach significantly improved the students’ science learning achievements and enhanced their sense of presence; moreover, the VR-IBL approach benefited the global perspectives of the students with initial moderate and low global perspectives. This could be a good reference for utilizing VR technology in education.
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Funding
This study is supported in part by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan under contract number MOST 111–2410-H-003–011-MY3, and the National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan under contract number NSTC 112–2410-H-142–019.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Yih-Ru Chu. Project administration were performed by Chih-Hung Chen. Methodology and supervision were performed Chih-Hung Chen. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Yih-Ru Chu and Chih-Hung Chen. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Appendix: Questionnaires
Appendix: Questionnaires
Sense of presence
1. In my opinion, this scene looks more like a place I have been before |
2. The extent to which this experience makes me feel that the scene is "real" and that I almost forget the real world I am in |
3. I had a feeling of ‘being there’ during the course activities |
4. I had a stronger feeling of being in the virtual world in the activity |
5. During the experience, I often forgot that I am only wore the virtual device for the activity |
6. Most of the time, the virtual scene captures my attention |
Global perspectives
1. I think it is essential to have an international perspective |
2. It is valuable to preserve Taiwanese culture and other cultures |
3. I think there is something to learn from every country's culture |
4. I know the geographical locations of all the continents in the world |
5. I love discovering new things whenever I visit a strange place |
6. I would like to know what happened in the past in different countries |
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Chen, CH., Chu, YR. VR-assisted inquiry-based learning to promote students’ science learning achievements, sense of presence, and global perspectives. Educ Inf Technol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12620-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12620-3