Are Students Ready to Be Immersed? Acceptance of Mobile Immersive Virtual Reality by Secondary Education Students

As immersive virtual reality (iVR) is gaining popularity, interest from education and educational research is growing likewise. As such, it is of interest to investigate which factors thrive and inhibit acceptance of this iVR technology in education. In this study we investigated the perceptions of 2,640 Flemish secondary education students on iVR as an instructional tool. As a theoretical framework, we adopted the UTAUT2 model extended with the factor of personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology. Students watched a video with several examples of iVR educational experiences. Next, their perceptions on iVR as an instructional method were measured using an online survey. To test the several hypotheses, we applied general linear modelling. The results account for 50% of variance in behavioral intention to use. These findings help to understand which factors contribute to the acceptance of iVR in secondary education and might guide the design of evidence-informed implementation plans by school managers and teachers.