Using attentional guidance methods in virtual reality laboratories reduces students’ cognitive load and improves their academic performance

Learning in virtual reality laboratories (VR labs) has become an important method in experimental teaching but can increase individuals’ cognitive load compared with traditional laboratories. This study analysed the effect of introducing an attentional guidance mechanism into a VR lab on students’ cognitive load and academic performance. We designed and developed two VR labs, one with and one without this attentional guidance stimulus (a 3D yellow arrow). A quasi-experimental design was adopted, and the data obtained were analysed using one-way ANOVA and linear regression. The experiment was conducted with 80 students majoring in digital media art at two universities. The results indicated that the students in the VR lab with the attentional guidance mechanism included exhibited lower cognitive load and higher academic performance than the control group. The regression analyses revealed that cognitive load negatively predicted learning outcomes; that is, academic performance improved as cognitive load decreased. In conclusion, as VR labs are increasingly used in education, supplementing them with attentional guidance stimuli can improve students’ academic performance by reducing their cognitive load.