Students' perception on immersive learning through 2D and 3D metaverse platforms

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Virtual Reality in Education
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• The integration of metaverse platforms in education is a developing area.
• Understanding student engagement factors is crucial for effective metaverse learning implementation.
• Existing research lacks empirical data on student perceptions across different metaverse environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors affecting student participation in metaverse learning.
• To analyze student-perceived experiences across diverse metaverse platforms.
• To provide empirical data for optimizing metaverse-based pedagogy.

Main Methods:

• A survey and reflective essays were administered to 57 Korean undergraduates.
• Exploratory factor analysis identified key learning factors influencing participation.
• Sentiment and keyword analyses assessed student perceptions of ifland, Gather Town, and Frame VR.

Main Results:

• Social and interactive learning, alongside individualized and behavioral learning, emerged as primary drivers of participation.
• No significant statistical differences in social presence were found across the three platforms.
• Sentiment analysis revealed higher positive user sentiment for ifland (60.00%), followed by Frame VR (53.66%), and Gather Town (51.22%).

Conclusions:

• Student perception of metaverse platforms significantly influences their perceived effectiveness for learning.
• Tailoring metaverse platform selection and instructional design to specific learning factors can enhance student engagement.
• Findings offer actionable recommendations for educators seeking to leverage metaverse technologies for improved learning outcomes.