Can virtual reality help children learn mathematics better? The application of vr headset in children’s discipline education

Abstract

It is difficult for children to learn scientific disciplines like mathematics, but virtual reality (VR) headsets offer more direct and effective learning methods for children. This paper represents an exploratory study of the application of VR in children’s education. We observed ten children as they played with four educational VR applications. Fourteen experts, including six teachers, were interviewed to explore whether and how VR can help children to overcome learning difficulties in different subjects. Based on the insights from the user study and expert interviews, we propose a series of design guidelines for educational VR applications. For example, children seek a sense of achievement when learning mathematics; therefore, applications should have a hierarchy of different difficulty levels with which the children can practice, make progress, and experience success.