Potential of mobile virtual reality as a tool for supporting students’ motivation in school geography

The purpose of this study is to present the possibilities of implementing mobile virtual reality (VR) in school geography and to examine its benefits and risks. A total of 163 students from various elementary schools in Slovakia participated in this study. We used qualitative and quantitative data analysis from students' feedback and observations of the VR activities. The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory questionnaire and researcher observation sheet were used as research tools. The study showed that the implementation of mobile VR is possible in the environment of Slovak schools and has positive effects on several areas of students' internal motivation. The best results were achieved in the areas of interest/pleasure, understanding of the activity, and perception of the value and usefulness of the activity. We also found that the gender or age of the students in our research sample did not have a significant impact on students' internal motivation when working with VR. Our work not only provides evidence to support the wider adoption of mobile VR in education but also clarifies several possibilities for its implementation in school geography. In conclusion, we identify the most significant benefits and risks of using mobile virtual reality in geography education. The results of testing mobile VR show the great usefulness of this technology, which serves as a motivational tool for 3D visualization of various locations and phenomena on Earth.