Exploring the Effect of Spatial Ability and Learning Achievement on Learning Effect in VR Assisted Learning Environment

Abstract

Based on “Virtual Reality” (VR), this study constructed a teaching software of glacier terrain, which allows students to explore freely in virtual environment and the effect of different learning modes. This study also collected students’ spatial ability and geographical learning achievement, and explored whether students’ spatial ability and geographical learning achievement affects their learning effect. In this study, senior high school sophomores were selected as the experimental subjects. The students involved were divided into the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group students used VR glacier terrain teaching software to assist their course learning, while the control group students learned the geography course by means of traditional teaching methods. After the experiment, it is found that students in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group in the post-test, and students with high spatial ability and high geographical achievement performed better in the post-test. Through statistical analysis, it is found that “Spatial Visualization” in students’ spatial ability positively affected their learning performance in virtual reality software. In the interviews and feedback sheets after the experiment, most students had positive attitudes towards using virtual reality assisted software for geography course learning. This study verifies the value of using virtual reality to assist geography course learning, and provides more references and suggestions for future researchers.

Keywords

• virtual reality
• spatial ability
• geographical learning
• learning achievement
• learning effect