Virtual reality and meaningful learning in students of physical activity and health
Keywords:
Virtual Reality, Meaningful Learning, Physical Activity, Health.Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to transform instruction across diverse university programmes by fostering comprehensive, engaging, and contextualised learning, in line with the demands of contemporary education. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of virtual reality (VR) on meaningful learning among students of Physical Activity and Health at an Ecuadorian university. This was a projective/quantitative study that measured the effect of VR on relevant learning in undergraduate students (n = 98). The intervention included curricular analysis, teacher training, content restructuring, and a pilot implementation lasting eight weeks. To assess key variables, highly reliable and validated instruments were employed. VR exerted a considerable influence on the students’ meaningful learning. High levels were observed in 63.3% of survey respondents and in 77.6% of meaningful learning outcomes. The strongest dimensions were prior knowledge (70.4%), motivation (74.5%), and the value attributed to knowledge (76.5%). Ordinal logistic regression models revealed a moderate-to-high explained variance (Nagelkerke R² ranging from 0.40 to 0.56). All coefficients were statistically significant (p < 0.05), confirming the validity of the hypotheses. Probability ratios indicated that limited use of VR reduces the likelihood of achieving high levels of learning. Virtual reality has a positive and significant effect on meaningful learning among university students of Physical Activity and Health. Immersive technology facilitated the expansion of prior knowledge, increased motivation, and enhanced the perceived value of the acquired knowledge.
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