A meta-analysis of the effect of virtual reality technology use in education

With the rapid development of information technologies, virtual reality (VR) has caught much attention in education. However, scanty studies have been committed to a meta-analysis of its effect in education in terms of various components. This study, through a meta-analysis, systematically reviews the effect of VR technologies on educational outcomes in terms of various components. It concludes that VR technologies generally exert a strong and positive influence on educational outcomes despite some negative findings in their effect on anxiety, cognition, creativeness, gender differences, learning attitudes, learner satisfaction, and engagement. Future research could expand the research by including more publications and examine the effect of VR technologies on educational outcomes through interdisciplinary cooperation.HighlightsThe use of VR could significantly improve overall learning outcomes at the .05 level in education;The use of VR could significantly improve learning achievements at the .05 level;A proper VR-based educational design may be conducive to positive results.