The role of desktop virtual reality as an accessible and equitable strategy to improve career opportunities for women in technology

Abstract Background The conventional classroom does not seem to adequately address the gender disparity in technology education. This could negatively affect the contributions of the female gender to national development. There was a need to advance a setting that enhances the participation of women in technology education. Aims This study evaluated desktop Virtual Reality (VR) to know whether it enhances equal academic achievement and learning interests of female and male students. Materials and Methods A toss of a coin was used to divide the six universities into two major groups; three universities were taught with ElectricVlab, while the other three universities were taught in the conventional classroom. Each of the six intact classes sat in clusters of five students and the whole class was taught the construction of an audio amplifier together using a demonstration method of teaching. A Vocational Interest scale and a researcher‐made achievement test with reliability coefficient=0.89 were used for data collection. Two‐way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyse means and test hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Results The study found no significant difference between the mean achievement and interests of female and male students in the VR group. There was a significant interaction effect between gender and teaching environment. This study predicts that VR could bring women up to the same level of interest and achievement as men, but conventional classroom methods could not. Conclusions Curriculum planners should consider piloting virtual reality to enhance gender‐fair education, as it shows initial promise in the teaching of electronic technology education. Virtual reality for teaching and learning can be a part of postgraduate studies in universities, especially in academic fields where virtual reality has been found effective. This study may guide other studies and add to available literature.