Situating presence within extended reality for teacher training: Validation of the extended Reality Presence Scale (XRPS) in preservice teacher use of immersive 360 video

Abstract

The use of video is commonplace for professional preparation in education and other fields. Research has provided evidence that the use of video in these contexts can lead to increased noticing and reflection. However, educators now have access to evolving forms of video such as 360 video. The purpose of this study was to adapt and validate an instrument for assessing immersive 360 video use in an undergraduate preservice teacher university training program. Data provided evidence of the validity of the Extended Reality Presence Scale (XRPS) for 360 video research in preservice teacher professional development. Moreover, evidence from the study suggests that those with higher feelings of presence are less likely to jump around (or twitch) while watching 360 videos. The main implications are that: a) the XRPS is a validated and reliable instrument and b) more research is needed to examine the presence and practices for in‐service and preservice teachers while watching 360 video. What is already known about this topic? Instructional videos are widely used in preservice teacher training. 360 videos show promise for improving preservice teacher professional development in terms of immersion and presence. What this paper adds? An instrument for assessing 360 video teacher presence is presented (XRPS), targeting a current gap in the literature. Data provided evidence of the validity of the tool for future 360 video research and integration. Implications for practice and/or policy Practitioners can use XRPS for assessing preservice teachers’ experiences in immersive environments and evaluating 360 videos. Higher feelings of presence are associated with more focused viewpoints. Therefore, practitioners should support and facilitate this watching behavior. Higher scores of presence are associated with a perceived sense of agency and emotional attachment. Therefore, 360 videos should include design elements promoting these feelings.

Virtual reality as a main basis for forming modern educational technologies

“…The possibilities of virtuality allow you to influence the course of history and change various scenarios, solve problems, doing so in a playful way that is understandable to a young person. During such a lesson, a student can have many playing instruments with which he can use the eyes of a historical character to look at the historical world of the past or choose the right course on a ship or even set off to explore the human body from the inside [7].…”

Analysis of the Use of Visualization in Teaching Subjects of Different Ages

“…Kosko, R.E. Ferdig shows that the use of video in teaching enhances the perception of educational material by students, increases their attention and generally improves the quality of the educational process (Gandolfi et al, 2021). The student can operate with a much larger amount of information compared to traditional methods of teaching.…”

Ready Teacher One: Virtual and Augmented Reality Online Professional Development for K-12 School Teachers

“…AR and VR have the potential to offer significant educational benefits related to embodied cognition [17]. VR enables of sense of immersion, the cognitive "teleportation" to a remote or imaginary world and creates the psychological phenomenon of presence, the natural feeling of being there creating the illusion of non-mediation where technology is no longer noticeable [18]. In other words, users do not notice the existence and interference of technological equipment.…”

“…Students who have followed VR-supported instruction have successfully achieved better outcomes than their counterparts in traditional (lecture-style) formats [17,25]. Viewing 360, spherical immersive VR videos can increase attention and teachers' professional noticing capabilities [18]. Teachers applying VR for teaching can focus on essential factors to assess student performance in education such as learnability, motivation, creativity, and interaction [26].…”

“…In the context of distance education, synchronous online meetings in visually stimulating spaces are beneficial for participants' motivation and sustained engagement [32]. In the context of teacher education, immersive VR classroom simulations have been utilized to facilitate pre-service teacher students' practicum to alleviate the pandemic's restrictions and physical education limitations [33] and to assess teachers' preparatory experiences in immersive environments by evaluating and reflecting on 360 • videos [18].…”