The Impact of Immersive Teaching Assisted by Spherical Video Virtual Reality (SVVR) with a Flipped Classroom Model on Argumentative Essay Writing Skills, Classroom Engagement, and Perceptions

Abstract

Most students struggle to write argumentative essays due to a lack of schemata, so resources are needed to enrich them. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of SVVR-assisted immersive teaching using a flipped classroom model on argumentative essay writing skills, class engagement, and student perceptions. A quasi-experimental method was used, involving 200 university students majoring in Indonesian language education. The participants were divided into two groups with the same number of 100 students each: the experimental group received the intervention of spherical video virtual reality in a flipped classroom model, while the control group received conventional teaching. The instruments used were a rubric for assessing argumentative writing skills, a class engagement questionnaire, a rubric for assessing the lexical complexity of argumentative essays and interview questions. The data analysis included the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the Quade test, paired-sample t-test, and one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The findings indicated that SVVR-assisted immersive teaching with a flipped classroom model improved argumentative essay writing skills, class engagement, and student perceptions. Improved argumentative writing skills were evident in the use of evidence and data to support arguments, which were presented more robustly and scientifically, resulting from the observation of objects. Improvements in the quality of argumentative essays were also evident in the increased lexical complexity across all aspects of lexical density, lexical sophistication, and lexical variety. Increased class engagement was evident in cognitive engagement, behavioral engagement, and emotional engagement. Positive perceptions were evident in the experience, emotion, active motivation, and strategies used for improving writing learning. Thus, improvements in all competencies occurred because the intervention enhanced realistic and context-rich experiences, critical thinking skills, and evidence-based reasoning. This research suggests that the use of virtual reality technology can enhance the students' understanding of difficult concepts and create positive impressions of the learning process.