Integrating spherical video-based virtual reality into elementary school students’ scientific inquiry instruction: effects on their problem-solving performance

The use of immersive 360° videos for foreign language learning: a study on usage and efficacy among high-school students

“…Thus, it is hard to compare our positive findings regarding the effectiveness of 360° videos as learning tools, with these negative or null findings: in the study by Ulrich (Ulrich et al, 2019), indeed, the content of the video was not created on purpose for the learning goal, but it was the mere videorecording, although spherical, of the traditional lesson; in the study by Chang et al (2018), the object of the investigation was not the efficacy of the video per se but the comparison between two learning instruction strategies, therefore nothing can be said about the role of the video in this context. Only one study, to our knowledge, reported beneficial effects of this new technology on learning (Wu, Guo, Wang, Zeng, & Wu, 2019): in this experiment researchers proposed to a group of elementary students a learning activity based on the exploration of a 360° image illustrating a scientific concept; the control group, instead, viewed a video with common teaching explanations of the same scientific topic, combined with the exhibits of a science museum. Even though the 360 content was not conveyed immersively (the students saw the image on a tablet, using the translational and rotational movements of the device to explore the environment), those children belonging to the experimental group got better learning outcomes and greater problem solving abilities compared to their classmates belonging to the control group.…”

Evaluating the effectiveness of 360 videos when teaching primary school subjects related to environmental education

“…Quite reasonably, the use of 360 o videos attracted the interest of researchers and the literature reports a variety of fields of application. They are considered ideal for virtually visiting museums and archaeological sites, for viewing medical procedures or laboratory experiments (e.g., Argyriou et al, 2017;Lee et al, 2017;Queiroz et al, 2018;Pham et al, 2018), and for subjects such as Natural Sciences, Geography and Mathematics (e.g., Minocha et al, 2017;Wu et al, 2019). There is also research regarding their use for delivering virtual courses (e.g., Ardisara & Fung, 2018), for the study of foreign languages and culture (e.g., Blyth, 2018;Xie et al, 2019), and for supporting hοme-schooling of people unable to physically attend school (e.g., people with health problems or teenage mothers) (Minocha et al, 2017).…”

“…Despite the wide scope of applications, research is still at a very early stage and, logically, there are contradictory results and several gaps in research. For example, the learning outcomes that 360 o videos produced, compared to other teaching tools, sometimes were found to be better (e.g., Pham et al, 2018;Ritter III et al, 2019;Wu et al, 2019) and sometimes there were no statistically significant differences (e.g., Karageorgakis & Nisiforou, 2018;Ulrich et al, 2019). Others noted that the pedagogical framework for their use is still extremely unclear (Fowler, 2015).…”

“…Others noted that the pedagogical framework for their use is still extremely unclear (Fowler, 2015). The target group was usually young adults; research examining the effects of 360 o videos on primary school students is limited (e.g., Minocha et al, 2017;Wu et al, 2019).…”

“…Most research reported encouraging results in knowledge acquisition (e.g. Pham et al, 2018;Ritter III et al, 2019), enjoyment, and motivation to learn (e.g., Lee et al, 2017;Wu et al, 2019;Xie et al, 2019).…”