TY - JOUR

T1 - Utilizing virtual reality to assist social competence education and social support for children from under-represented backgrounds

AU - Wang, Xining

AU - Young, Gareth W.

AU - Plechatá, Adéla

AU - Mc Guckin, Conor

AU - Makransky, Guido

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Although education is a fundamental human right for global citizens, educational inequality still exists within and among countries. Still today, many students struggle to access and receive quality education. Therefore, the value of using immersive technology to increase social competence and perceived social support for children who live in remote areas of the world, reduce inequality, and improve the quality of education requires much attention to address the lacuna between urban and rural education systems. Based on three representative pedagogies (Pedagogy of Technology, Play-based Learning, and Traditional Pedagogy), we designed three social competence educational approaches – virtual reality (VR) assisted social competence education, Lego social competence education, and traditional classroom learning – and applied them to interventions in two rural schools in Southwest China. Our results showed that VR and Lego social competence education prompted children's social competence and perceived social support with elementary school children (Study 1). Furthermore, VR social competence education resulted in substantially greater social competencies and subjective sense of social support than traditional classroom learning with middle school children (Study 2). The results suggest that VR-assisted social competence education (Pedagogy of Technology) could be a potential tool to reduce educational inequalities in underdeveloped countries and regions.

AB - Although education is a fundamental human right for global citizens, educational inequality still exists within and among countries. Still today, many students struggle to access and receive quality education. Therefore, the value of using immersive technology to increase social competence and perceived social support for children who live in remote areas of the world, reduce inequality, and improve the quality of education requires much attention to address the lacuna between urban and rural education systems. Based on three representative pedagogies (Pedagogy of Technology, Play-based Learning, and Traditional Pedagogy), we designed three social competence educational approaches – virtual reality (VR) assisted social competence education, Lego social competence education, and traditional classroom learning – and applied them to interventions in two rural schools in Southwest China. Our results showed that VR and Lego social competence education prompted children's social competence and perceived social support with elementary school children (Study 1). Furthermore, VR social competence education resulted in substantially greater social competencies and subjective sense of social support than traditional classroom learning with middle school children (Study 2). The results suggest that VR-assisted social competence education (Pedagogy of Technology) could be a potential tool to reduce educational inequalities in underdeveloped countries and regions.

KW - Educational inequality

KW - Perceived social support

KW - Rural children

KW - Social competence

KW - Virtual reality

U2 - 10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104815

DO - 10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104815

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85159099355

VL - 201

JO - Computers & Education

JF - Computers & Education

SN - 0360-1315

M1 - 104815

ER -