Design, Implementation, and Pilot Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Application for Science Learning

Bayer H., Gürkan G., Arduç M. A., Kahraman S.

IEEE ACCESS, sa.14, ss.161760-161772, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1109/access.2026.3744282
  • Dergi Adı: IEEE ACCESS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.161760-161772
  • İnönü Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This paper reports a pilot study on the design, development, and preliminary classroom

evaluation of a virtual reality (VR) learning system for middle school science education, conducted within the

framework of a university–industry collaboration. The primary objective was to develop a head-mounted display

(HMD)-based VR application for the sixth-grade ‘‘Digestive System’’ unit and to investigate its effects

on students’ academic achievement, motivation toward science learning, and spatial ability. Developed

following the Rapid Prototyping Instructional Design Model, the application incorporated interactive threedimensional

anatomical models and user-centered navigation to support students’ engagement with abstract

scientific concepts. The VR system developed within the scope of this study was integrated into the 5E-based

instructional process and evaluated through a quasi-experimental pilot study involving a total of 36 sixthgrade

students (5E+VR, n = 18; 5E Only, n = 18). For science-learning motivation, after controlling

for pre-test scores, a statistically significant group effect and a significant Group × Time interaction,

indicating different patterns of change over time between the groups, were observed. Regarding spatial

ability, although the 5E+VR group showed a greater increase in mean scores, the adjusted between-group

difference was not statistically significant. For academic achievement, no statistically significant difference

was observed between the groups. Overall, the findings suggest that the curriculum-aligned VR system

may serve as a complementary educational technology for supporting students’ motivation toward science

learning. However, further research with larger and more diverse samples, longer intervention periods, and

different instructional and interaction designs is needed to further substantiate these findings.