The effect of educational virtual reality game on primary school students' achievement and engagement in mathematics

Abstract

Recently, virtual reality seems to be deevloping rapidly. However, it can be said that virtual reality is in the early days of adoption for education. Studies show that using virtual reality in education can positively affect students' learning experiences. In this study, the effect of an educational virtual reality game, named Kesfet Kurtul, on fourth-grade students' academic achievement in fractions and their engagement to mathematics was investigated. The experimental study was carried out using a quasi-experimental design. The educational VR game was used in the treatment group (N = 32). In the comparison group (N = 32), the method applied in school, which includes predominantly mobile applications developed in fractions, were used. As a result of the research; the educational VR game Kesfet Kurtul was found to increase academic achievement and to maintain the level of student engagement in mathematics. It was determined that the experimental method has the same effect as the method applied in school in the comparison group, in terms of academic achievement and student engagement to mathematics. Besides, in terms of social sub-dimension of student engagement, it was observed that Kesfet Kurtul was more effective than the method applied in school.