Optimizing the Educational Potential of Virtual Reality: The Effects of Virtual Reality and Pop Quizzes on Spatial Presence and Efficacy Perceptions

Abstract

Reflecting the trend of virtual reality (VR) studies in crisis and disaster communication, this study designed VR content on fire evacuation and aimed to investigate the effects of VR for educational purposes on perceptual and cognitive factors. Using a 2 (viewing condition: video vs. VR) × 2 (quiz: presence vs. absence) between-subjects design, an experiment was conducted with 176 university students in South Korea. Findings revealed that participants who were exposed to VR (compared with video) experienced greater spatial presence and, in turn, had higher response efficacy and self-efficacy. The inclusion of pop quizzes in the material hindered the evaluation of the direct and indirect effects of VR. The findings of this study can contribute to expanding the theoretical framework of VR research and identifying learning-related factors to develop more effective educational materials related to fire evacuation.

Keywords:

• Virtual reality
• pop quiz
• spatial presence
• response efficacy
• self-efficacy
• disaster education

Acknowledgments

We express our gratitude to Zero-One Craft for their design of the experimental material and their reflection of our objectives within it.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Notes

1 Follow the link (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bvbmmWxbujNi3j6ZQxGROdlHNSTl8hp0/view?usp=drive_link) to view the recorded process. Participants in the Video + Quiz condition watched this video.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2022S1A5C2A03091539)

Notes on contributors

Jisoo Ahn

Jisoo Ahn, an assistant professor at Dong-Eui University in South Korea, specializes in information processing through digital media. Her recent research delves into individuals’ nuanced perceptions of conflicting expert messages, alongside a focus on interaction design to optimize website usability for users.

Ghee-Young Noh

Ghee-Young Noh, a distinguished professor and chief of the Health & New Media Research Institute at Hallym University, South Korea, is also the chief editor of Health & New Media Research. Presently, his focus is human-centered interaction design, showcasing a decade of leadership in various government-supported projects.