Immersive Virtual Reality as an educational tool for social transformation: An exploratory study on the perception of students in Post-Compulsory Secondary Education

Abstract

Virtual Reality has been a revolution in several sectors and while various possibilities have been linked to education, this technology is not integrated in post-compulsory secondary education. The digital natives who are in classrooms require an education aimed at achieving the educational objectives and the acquisition of skills collected in the curriculum of the post-compulsory education, but at the same time they claim an education that enables them to face the challenges that presents the society in the 21st century and thus be able to participate in an active way in its transformation. This article contains the results of a survey, completed by 390 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts, conducted to learn about the perceptions of the pedagogical usefulness of Immersive Virtual Reality. The results show that students have used this technology, but not as an educational tool in the classroom. However, they consider that its use can have a positive effect on their teaching-learning process and qualify it as an ideal tool to complement their learning even outside formal educational institutions. The application of Immersive Virtual Reality as a stimulating tool for learning poses significant challenges to educational institutions in the short term.