https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks Is virtual reality becoming too real? en-us 2021-05-27 11:57:17 UTC 2026-01-13 05:47:22 UTC hello@padlet.com samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587007534 When you think of virtual and augmented reality, what comes to mind? Often the notion of brand-new technology, likely followed by the images of overlaying virtual objects (Abdullah et al., 2019). AR and VR can be described in such a way; however, AR technology is not ‘relatively’ new as it was first created for training purposes for airline and Air Force pilots in the 1990s (Caudell &Mizell, 1992; Akçayir & Akçayir, 2017). Although, AR is not as difficult as it was in the past and can be easily used on computers or mobile devices. Moreover, VR uses computer-supported technologies to create and simulate realistic (or not) applications. Users can be fully immersed in three-dimensional (3D) simulated environments thus gaining the sensation of ‘being there’. Such technologies allow users to interact with visual objects and engage with hands-on tasks.  Such technologies have become an important focus of research increasing from 2007 with a significant rise in research from 2011 in regard to how effective they can be used in educational settings for student motivation, engagement and learning (Chiang et al, 2014; Akçayir & Akçayir, 2017; Pellas et al., 2019; Chen et al., 2020; Pellas et al. 2021). 

AR and VR respectively are used significantly in educational settings thus research studies have focused on the advantages in education from K-12 (Pellas et al, 2019; Pellas et al., 2021) to tertiary level and beyond (González-Zamar & Abad-Segura, 2020; McGoven et al., 2020; Young, 2014). Research for AR and VR have similar conclusions for advantages in education. For example, increases learner outcomes, pedagogical contributions and student interaction (Akçayir & Akçayir, 2017; Pellas et al. 2021). In the literature, some scholars have drawn attention to the limitations associated with AR and VR (Young, 2014). For example, the technologies can be difficult to use, problems with technology interrupts learning, the expense of technology and the novelty effect of such technology not creating long lasting effective learning environments (Akçayir & Akçayir, 2017; Pellas et al. 2021). Some conclusions across research are conflicting. For example, some studies reported that AR decreases cognitive load while others reported that it causes cognitive overload. Such shortcomings are useful as they outline what needs to be overcome for VR and AR in education to be more effective.
Despite research focusing on AR and VR in educational settings increasing, there are few that analyse long-term effects of such technologies thus future research needs to identify further advantages or challenges and ways of overcoming such complications to enhance our understanding of how such technology aids learning.

]]> 2021-06-05 14:52:50 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587007534 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587012363
Summary, purpose and audience

Murat Akçayir and Gökçe Akçayir, leading scholars of computer and instructional technologies, examine literature on augmented reality (AR) used in education. After drawing on a scope of 68 research articles within the social science citation index (SSCI Journal Database) to create a systematic review, Akçayir and Akçayir examine an array of factors such as publication year, learner type (K-12, Higher education, tertiary and adult), types of AR and the advantages and challenges of using AR in education. The main idea expressed is the most documented advantage of AR which is “that [AR] promotes enhanced learning achievement” (Akçayir & Akçayir, 2017, p.1). The critical audience is scholars of computer and instructional technologies, which is evident as Akçayir and Akçayir set the work within the field. This work contributes to the growing fields of global education and technology. In particular the educational effects and implications of AR as at the time of publishing, this work was one of the first that offered particular attention to the advantages and challenges of AR in education.  ]]> 2021-06-05 14:58:42 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587012363 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587016117 Analysis
In order to analyse data research questions were developed to break up the findings of the literature data. The following questions were developed:

Q1 What is the distribution over time of the studies published in the SSCI-indexed journals that examine educational uses of AR?

Q2 What learner types (types of participants) are commonly selected for the research studies published in the SSCI-indexed journals?

Q3 What are the advantages of AR in educational settings, indicated in the studies published in the SSCI-indexed journals?

Q5 What are the challenges imposed by AR in educational settings, indicated in the studies published in the SSCI-indexed journals?

Results & Conclusion

The distribution of the articles shows that from 2007 the number of studies on AR increased and from 2011 research on AR in education dramatically increased from 2011. The main advantages of AR in educational settings fall under the themes: learner outcomes, pedagogical contributions, interaction and other. The main challenges of AR in educational settings are technical problems, cognitive overload, expensive technology and inadequate teacher ability to use technology.

Akçayir and Akçayir identify that despite AR going back to the 1990s, it’s use within education is relatively new thus the utility of AR technology should improve in the near future. Akçayir and Akçayir reflect that some conclusions are conflicting. For example, studies reported that AR decreases cognitive load while others reported that it causes cognitive overload. Similarly, the most highly mentioned challenge was usability which is also reported as an advantage. Therefore, future research should be directed toward the conflicting advantages and challenges. Akçayir and Akçayir argue that when the challenges are considered and overcome AR should be even more useful in education.

Comparison and implication

Akçayir and Akçayir’s research is somewhat limited as it does not draw on any other evidence outside AR and they do not include discussions of virtual reality (VR). As my research study focuses on the use of both AR and VR within educational settings this source needs to be further corroborated with more specific research in the field of VR. This study only analysed articles published in SSCI journals thus it is possible to find research articles on the educational uses of AR in other databases and such wider bases of data may provide different advantages and challenges of educational uses of AR technology. The publishing dates that their literature stands on also needs further corroboration as the data relied on articles published up to 2015. However, this was still very useful for providing both advantages and challenges of AR in educational settings which directly links to my research about educational technologies. 











]]> 2021-06-05 15:03:30 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587016117 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587026932
Summary, purpose and audience

Nikoloas Pellas, Penagiotis Fotaris, Ioannis Kazanidis and David Wells are prominent scholars of technology in education, who have primarily focused their work on virtual reality and augmented reality. This study considers the advantages, disadvantages, instructional affordances and effectiveness of augmented reality (AR) in the form of game-based learning (GBL). Such an area is under researched therefore, to fill this gap, Pellas et al. (2018) positioned this research amongst the field of ‘virtual reality’ scholars. The authors chose to aim their research at not only at educators, but technology developers and stakeholders involved in the development of technology programs to lay the groundwork for such research. Pellas et al. (2018) sought to highlight how to increase student motivation, learning outcomes and learning experiences via augmented technology. 

]]> 2021-06-05 15:16:50 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587026932 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587030060 Analysis

To break up the findings and analyse data. Pellas et al. (2018) established three inquiry questions. For example:

Q1 What are the main game-based learning approaches that students have participated in, with the purpose of improving their learning outcomes?

Q2 What AR-enabled devices have been used to enhance the game-based learning experience, and in what instructional conditions has this experience taken place?

Q3 What are the potential benefits and limitations regarding the learning effectiveness of combining AR with game-based applications in primary and secondary education?


Results ]]> 2021-06-05 15:21:02 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587030060 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587032736 2021-06-05 15:24:27 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587032736 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587033948 This research aligns with Akçayir and Akçayir (2017) as the article identifies that AR technology benefits students’ cognitive acceleration, the increase to their self-management, and the enhancement to their engagement in practice-based activities. In a similar manner Pellas et al., (2018) revealed that from 2016 there has been a significant increase in published studies in the area. However, this research needs to be further corroborated with more recent data to assess the growth of research. As this study focused solely on AR this needs to be further aligned with research on VR to gain a more complete understanding on such technology for my research. Overall Pellas et al. (2018) informs my research as they identify that motivation and enrichment of the learning experience are the ‘two pillars’ of ARGBL. This is important as such technology, when used in educational settings can lead to clear enjoyment, knowledge gain, augmented interaction, increased engagement, and enhanced collaboration. 

]]> 2021-06-05 15:26:02 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587033948 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587034646
Summary, purpose and audience

Enda McGoven, Gerardo Moreira and Cuauhtemoc Luna-Nevarez are leading scholars of technology in education. This study assessed the value and impact of VR technology in higher education and more specifically in business education. Although the use of VR has been researched to be proven valuable in tourism, medicine and other areas, research of the implications of VR in educational settings is somewhat scarce. Thus, this study aims to fill such a gap to understand the learning advantages of such technology. The critical audience is for scholars of education in particular education for Business. However, due to the limited nature of studies on VR in education this would also reach technology developers and technology scholars. This study focused on how immersive VR learning experiences can help students improve their communication skills associated in delivering presentations and public speaking. 


]]> 2021-06-05 15:26:57 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587034646 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587036661 Analysis, Results & Conclusion

The participants delivered virtual presentations before and after using the VR simulation. The VR offered students various settings to practice their presentations. For example, different audiences, classrooms, boardrooms and banquet rooms. Students completed surveys after both presentations which assessed their nerves, motivation and feelings. Student’s gaze, voice, eye contact and hand gestures were also recorded and compared. The data paired student samples and compared the performance between presentation 1 and presentation 2. The mean scores from presentation 2 were statistically higher than the mean scores from presentation 1. Therefore, this research demonstrates the potential that VR technology has to improve presentation skills in educational settings.

Comparison to other literature and how does this inform the topic

This research does align with the surrounding literature of AR as this study identifies that VR has the potential to hold advantages in educational settings. However, as this study was specific within VR in presentation skills therefore this needs to be further corroborated with other data analysis with broader scopes. Despite, the narrow scope this still directly links to my research about educational technologies and provides clear examples of how VR can be used in a subject-specific way. 


]]> 2021-06-05 15:29:51 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587036661 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587038167 2021-06-05 15:31:35 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587038167 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587038929 2021-06-05 15:32:32 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587038929 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587039713 2021-06-05 15:33:38 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587039713 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587040239
Summary, purpose and Audience

Nikoloas Pellas, Penagiotis Fotaris and Ioannis Kazanidis are leading scholars of technology in education, who have primarily focused their work on virtual reality and augmented reality. This work builds on their previous work published in 2018 that solely focused on augmented reality as this focuses on virtual reality in educational settings. This study was produced as a result of the scarcity of studies that identified the potentials and challenges of VR-supported learning in education. The critical audience for the study is educators and technology developers as this was one of the first systematic reviews that used a variety of studies that provide qualitative and/or quantitative data to investigate VR in education. Pellas et al. (2018) reputations as prominent scholars, is also beneficial for my project in providing authority that virtual reality as a learning tool in education is important for research in the contemporary world for education. This study contributes to the field by reviewing how VR can potentially benefit students’ outcomes, performance, alongside with the challenges of VR. 



]]> 2021-06-05 15:34:24 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587040239 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587041726 Analysis

Pellas et. al, (2021) attempted to establish an unbiased publication selection. Such an approach meant that the most popular data bases (see table above) were used to find information on VR in education, such as computer science/engineering and educational technology. This increased the number of articles to be analysed, regardless of their data suggesting the use of VR had positive or negative results.

Results & Conclusion

Overall, the study identified that the use of VR can create purposeful teaching and learning conditions. This study may be helpful for designers or educators who wish to design VR programs to support motivation, engagement and performance. However, important shortcomings were outlined. For example, some VR applications are time limited thus students do not get a complete immersive experience and some VR applications are not aligned with curriculum specific skills or content. Such findings are still useful as they outline what needs to be overcome for VR in education to be more effective.

Comparison and implication

This study aligns with the work of McCoven et al. (2020) by identifying that VR has the ability to increase student motivation, learning and engagement. Pellas et al. (2021) also corroborates with their earlier study with new and wider databases (Pellas et al., 2018). Nonetheless, relevant conference proceedings and book chapters, were not included thus further findings may be found by drawing on such data. Pellas et al. (2021) informed my research by providing a detailed literature on both advantages and challenges of VR in education. Further research should allow for wider sample sizes and mixed method methodologies to assess the efficacy of VR and AR in the long term. 


]]> 2021-06-05 15:36:22 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587041726 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587042835
Abdullah, J., Mohd-Isa, W., Samsudin, M. (2019). Virtual reality to improve group work skill and self-directed learning in problem-based learning narratives. Virtual Real. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s10055-019-00381-1.

Akçayır, M., & Akçayır, G. (2017). Advantages and challenges associated with augmented reality for education: A systematic review of the literature. Educational Research Review, 20, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.11.002.

Caudell, T. P., & Mizell, D. W. (1992). Augmented reality: an application of heads-up display technology to manual manufacturing processes. IEEE.(2). 659-669. https://doi. org/10.1109/HICSS.

Chen, J. C., Huang, Y., Lin, K. Y., Chang, Y. S., Lin, H. C., Lin, C. Y., & Hsiao, H. S. (2020). Developing a hands‐on activity using virtual reality to help students learn by doing. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 36(1), 46-60. https:// doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12389.

Chiang, T., Yang, S., Hwang, G-J. (2014). Students online interactive patterns in augmented reality-based inquiry activities. Computers & Education, (78). 97-108.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.05.006

González-Zamar, M. D., & Abad-Segura, E. (2020). Implications of virtual reality in arts education: Research analysis in the context of higher education. Education Sciences, 10 (9), 225.

McGovern, E., Moreira, G., & Luna-Nevarez, C. (2020). An application of virtual reality in education: Can this technology enhance the quality of students’ learning experience?, Journal of Education for Business, 95(7), 490-496, https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2019.1703096

Pellas, N., Fotaris, P., Kazanidis, I., & Wells, D. (2019). Augmenting the learning experience in primary and secondary school education: A systematic review of recent trends in augmented reality game-based learning. Virtual Reality, 23(4), 329-346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0347-2

Pellas, N., Mystakidis, S., & Kazanidis, I. (2021). Immersive Virtual Reality in K-12 and Higher Education: A systematic review of the last decade scientific literature. Virtual Reality, 1-27.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-020-00489-9

Shu,Y., Huang, YZ., Chang, SH., Chen, MY. (2018). Do virtual reality head-mounted displays make a difference? A comparison of presence and self-efficacy between head-mounted displays and desktop computer-facilitated virtual environments. Virtual Real 26(2). 1–10. https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s10055-018-0376-x

Young, C. O. (2014). Employing virtual reality technology at trial: New issues posed by rapid technological advances and their effects on jurors’ search for “the truth”. Texas Law Review, 93(1), 257–274.

]]> 2021-06-05 15:37:54 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587042835 samanthamackay11 https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587054911 2021-06-05 15:52:10 UTC https://padlet.com/samanthamackay11/Bookmarks/wish/1587054911