Open AccessVirtual Reality
Author(s) -
Heather Stone,
Manyu Li,
Kenneth Ritter,
Terrence L. Chambers
Publication year - 2020
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2411-2933
DOI - 10.31686/ijier.vol8.iss8.2498
Subject(s) - construct (python library) , meaning (existential) , virtual reality , homeland , mathematics education , diversity (politics) , psychology , pedagogy , sociology , computer science , artificial intelligence , anthropology , politics , political science , law , psychotherapist , programming language
The diversity of learners within education is neither linear nor constant. Educators are challenged to be responsive and understanding when encouraging learners to construct meaning while adhering to stringent standards. The objective of this study is to integrate science standards into authentic learning experiences, created in both a traditional teaching method and virtual reality (VR) platform, for 8th grade middle school students in Lafayette, Louisiana. The authentic experiences were based on oral histories of the residents of Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, who have lost 98% of their ancestral homeland since 1955. These experiences were then tied to the National Science Standards (8-MS-ESS1-4, 8-MS-ESS2-2, and 8-MS-ESS3-1). The students were split into two groups and given either a PowerPoint or VR experience, both having the same content. The researchers tracked engagement, focus, interest, and how important the students thought the content was. Using an experimental approach, the researchers also gave a pre- and posttest to determine if the VR experience resulted in better academic learning than a regular, PowerPoint-based lecture. The students were also asked to comment on their experience of the PowerPoint versus the VR and describe what their experience.