Investigating students’ immersion, motivation and cultural heritage learning in gamified and non-gamified virtual reality environments

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of gamification on university students’ immersion, motivation, and cultural heritage learning in the context of a Virtual Reality (VR) learning
environment. An experimental research design was adopted to analyze the experience of fortysix (n=46) undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to two conditions (Gamified / Non-gamified VR environment). Data were collected using pre- and post-learning assessments, immersion and motivation questionnaires. Analyses showed that students in the gamified VR learning environment experienced higher levels of attention and flow, reported greater perceived competence, and exhibited increased learning gains, in comparison to their counterparts who used the non-gamified VR environment. Moreover, higher and more positive correlations were identified between students’ immersion, motivation and learning in the gamified condition. The findings of this study can contribute to the principled design of VR environments to optimize students’ knowledge acquisition and learning experience.