The effect of virtual reality (VR) settings on nature relatedness and attitudes towards environment in gifted students

Abstract

The aim of the research was to explore the effect of educational interventions implemented in desktop-based VR and ımmersive virtual reality (IVR) settings on gifted students’ nature relatedness and attitudes towards environment. A a single group pretest-posttest weak experimental model was implemented. The participants involved in the study consisted of a group of 27 gifted students (age mean = 12.8), comprising 10 males and 17 females. The training program was implemented across three distinct sessions utilizing the Imedu VR platform. The training program used Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning principles, applying Exaggerated Feedback in the second session and Corrective Feedback in the third as instructional design elements. The initial phase encompassed a duration of 120 minutes of distance learning that emphasized Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on ocean acidification. Subsequently, participants engaged in a 30-minute IVR experience utilizing Oculus Quest 2 headsets to investigate the effect of ocean acidification on organisms and ecosystems. The final session comprised a 30-minute escape room activity conducted in a distance learning format via Imedu to reinforce what the students learned. Preceding and succeeding the intervention, students completed the Nature Relatedness (NR) Scale and the Revised New Environmental Paradigm Scale (R-NEP). Following confirmation of data normality, a paired samples t-test was employed to compare pretest and posttest scores. The study revealed a statistically significant enhancement in nature relatedness and attitudes towards environment among gifted students (p < .05). Effect sizes were high for NR (Cohen’s d = 1.099) and moderate for R-NEP (Cohen’s d = 0.539). The integration of VR technologies in gifted education for cultivating nature relatedness and attitudes towards environment is thus encouraged.