Learning in virtual reality: Effects of instruction type and emotional arousal on learning performance

Virtual reality (VR) provides a powerful tool in education and training due to its ability to create immersion and arouse emotions compared to the traditional approaches like paper-based and screen-based. This study investigates the effects of instruction type and emotional arousal on learning performance in the VR environment. We employed a kitchen scenario where participants learned the safety-related knowledge of three electric appliances. In the experiment, 72 participants were assigned to one of the six VR conditions, i.e., 2 (emotional arousal: arousal and non-arousal) × 3 (instruction type: text, video, and interactive). Participants in the arousal group had to stay in a virtual, burning room for five minutes before the learning task, whereas participants in the non-arousal group started the learning task directly. The results suggested that the virtual, burning room successfully aroused fear-related emotions in participants and enhanced learning performance compared to participants in the non-arousal group. Additionally, participants who experienced the interactive instructions showed better learning performance than those who experienced text- or video-based instructions. The results confirmed VR’s advantages in emotion induction and learning promotion. • A virtual, burning room successfully evoked fear-related emotions in participants. • Emotional arousal enhanced learning performance in the VR environment. • Interactive instructions promoted learning performance than text or video instructions.