The Metaverse in mathematics education: The opinions of secondary school mathematics teachers

Abstract

The concept of the metaverse, which has recently attracted attention, consists of a combination of the words "meta" and "universe" and is defined as the other universe. The Metaverse also refers to an immersive virtual environment in which a person can interact with avatars. To overcome the boundaries of 2-dimensional platforms, Metaverse-supported distance education models and the concept of meta-education have emerged. This situation provides an opportunity for both students and teachers to have rich, hybrid, active learning experiences. With the Covid 19 pandemic process, technology-supported applications have been quickly integrated into education. At this point, Metaverse will inevitably be involved in the education sector. The need to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and awareness of our teachers, the practitioners of education, about the concept of metaverse has arisen. The convergent parallel mixed method, which allows simultaneous collection of quantitative and qualitative data, was used. 70 mathematics teachers who teach in different regions of Turkey and secondary schools, selected by the easily accessible case sampling method, participated in the study. An interview form prepared by the researchers was used to collect the data. The first part of the interview form is the "Metaverse Scale" prepared by Suleymanogulları, Ozdemir, Bayraktar, and Vural (2022), and the second part is one closed-ended and three open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics included in the SPSS 24.0 program and t-test for independent samples, while qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. The results of the research also shed light on the future of students studying in different conditions in different regions of the country following the opinions of mathematics teachers who perform their duties in different regions of Turkey.

International case study: The metaverse in the classical high school

“…(i) Generativity of good practices shared internationally: A transfer of good practices took place between the Mathematics teacher who worked with France and the teachers of the same STEAM course to implement the use of the Metaverse in their subjects (Eşin & Özdemir, 2022). The international experience with France has enriched the educational innovation already present at the school, confirming that a virtuous management of international mobility funds is possible.…”

“…Furthermore, the continuous reflection on the learning experiences has contributed to greater awareness on the part of the students with respect to the entire path followed (Cowan, 2006;Kolb, 1984;Virtue & Hinnant-Crawford, 2019). Naturally, not all the children nor the teachers were familiar with virtual reality or the metaverse, however its use, despite the initial perplexities, helped to develop a flexible mentality in everyone (Asiksoy, 2023;Eşin, & Özdemir, 2022;Göçen, 2022;Kye, 2021;Topraklıkoğlu & Öztürk, 2023).…”

“…Pupils can study and apply these disciplines' knowledge creatively and innovatively, developing problem-solving and critical thinking skills and preparing them for future challenges (Pocalana et al, 2023). Above all, after the Covid-19 pandemic, in the STEM/STEAM field, during the mathematics hour, the use of virtual reality and the metaverse (Asiksoy, 2023;Eşin & Özdemir, 2022;Gogen, 2022;Kye, 2021;Ruiz-Martín & Bybee, 2022;Topraklikoglu & Ozturk, 2023).…”

“…The comparison among countries highlights the main gaps between the theory and practice of STEM/STEAM education: a) the lack of adequate human resources (Scaradozzi et al, 2019): i) there is still a gap between training and action since technological skills are not always adequate for educational needs (Moreno-Guerrero et al, 2021;Silva-Díaz, 2023;Spante et al, 2018); ii) in schools, not all teachers of the same course of study are ready to work with virtual reality and artificial intelligence (Eşin & Özdemir, 2022); b) the assessment system is still focused on content rather than skills that promote innovation, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Reyes & Enrique, 2020). These problems have also been found to varying degrees in our country (Eguchi, 2014).…”

Understanding English language teachers’ digital literacies and their willingness to change

“…In language classes, students often learn through videos and pictures, yet traditional technology sometimes falls short of providing realistic imagery. The Metaverse, a burgeoning platform in education, offers a solution with its immersive and interactive capabilities (Churchill, 2016;Burdick, 2007;Esin & Özdemir, 2022). It allows users to experience and interact in simulated social contexts, transcending the limitations of conventional virtual learning environments.…”