TY - JOUR
T1 - Platform is not destiny
T2 - Embodied learning effects comparing 2D desktop to 3D virtual reality STEM experiences
AU - Johnson-Glenberg, Mina C.
AU - Bartolomea, Hannah
AU - Kalina, Elena
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge all the kind help from the following in collecting data: Man Su, Vanesssa Ly, and Ricardo Nieland Zavala. Programming and artwork: James Comstock and Tyler Agte. We are also indebted to Wen Huang, Yoselyn Walsh, and Diane Carlson. The game was created in part with funding from an NSF AISL grant #1423655.
Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge all the kind help from the following in collecting data: Man Su, Vanesssa Ly, and Ricardo Nieland Zavala. Programming and artwork: James Comstock and Tyler Agte. We are also indebted to Wen Huang, Yoselyn Walsh, and Diane Carlson. The game was created in part with funding from an NSF AISL grant #1423655.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - Experiences in immersive 3D virtual reality (VR) are more presence-inducing, and so it may be tempting to claim that content will be learned better in VR. This randomized control trial study on natural selection challenges that assumption. This study answers the question of whether learning STEM in an immersive 3D VR environment is always superior to learning via a 2D monitor (PC). This is a 2 × 2 × 3 design. The first factor is platform immersivity (low = 2D PC, or high = 3D VR), the second factor is level of embodiment (lower = watching playback video, or higher = using mouse/controller to agentically manipulate content), and the third factor is test time (pretest, posttest, and follow-up). There was a significant main effect for embodiment, the high embodied and agentic groups learned the most. There was not a main effect for platform, because the participants in the low embodied VR group performed significantly worse than the three other groups. Although, the one high embodied, VR group learned and retained the most knowledge. A path-analysis revealed that the effect of platform was significantly mediated by presence, agency, and engagement. The smaller learning gain in the low embodied VR condition suggests that participants come to the immersive VR experience with expectations about agency and control of the virtual content, and when those expectations were not met, the disconnect was deleterious for learning. More agentic and interactive control of manipulable virtual content is encouraged. Design is critical, and platform is not destiny.
AB - Experiences in immersive 3D virtual reality (VR) are more presence-inducing, and so it may be tempting to claim that content will be learned better in VR. This randomized control trial study on natural selection challenges that assumption. This study answers the question of whether learning STEM in an immersive 3D VR environment is always superior to learning via a 2D monitor (PC). This is a 2 × 2 × 3 design. The first factor is platform immersivity (low = 2D PC, or high = 3D VR), the second factor is level of embodiment (lower = watching playback video, or higher = using mouse/controller to agentically manipulate content), and the third factor is test time (pretest, posttest, and follow-up). There was a significant main effect for embodiment, the high embodied and agentic groups learned the most. There was not a main effect for platform, because the participants in the low embodied VR group performed significantly worse than the three other groups. Although, the one high embodied, VR group learned and retained the most knowledge. A path-analysis revealed that the effect of platform was significantly mediated by presence, agency, and engagement. The smaller learning gain in the low embodied VR condition suggests that participants come to the immersive VR experience with expectations about agency and control of the virtual content, and when those expectations were not met, the disconnect was deleterious for learning. More agentic and interactive control of manipulable virtual content is encouraged. Design is critical, and platform is not destiny.
KW - STEM education
KW - VR
KW - Virtual Reality design
KW - XR
KW - game design
KW - learning in XR
KW - natural selection
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107308953&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85107308953&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/jcal.12567
DO - 10.1111/jcal.12567
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107308953
SN - 0266-4909
VL - 37
SP - 1263
EP - 1284
JO - Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
JF - Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
IS - 5
ER -