The VR application did not increase students' interest in biodiversity, and only the academic-track control group showed a significant interest increase¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r1 · q3 · i0 negligible
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i0 The VR application did not influence interest (d = 0.03), nor did the traditional-lesson control group (d = 0.25, not significant). → Mulders 2025 q3 i? Interest significantly increased only in the academic-track control group, to a medium effect. → Mulders 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Mulders 2025¶

Mulders, M., Träg, K. H., & Kirner, L. (2025). Go green: evaluating an XR application on biodiversity in German secondary school classrooms. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-024-09697-1

q3 · i0 · causal · r1

Directional dependent-samples t-tests on the two-item interest scale in both conditions found no significant change; the VR effect was "t(107) = − 0.36; p = 1; d = 0.03". Hypothesis 2a was rejected.

"The VR application did not influence interest (t(107) = − 0.36; p = 1; d = 0.03), nor did the control group (t(61) = 1.97; p = 0.187; d = 0.25)."

Mulders 2025 (2)¶

Mulders, M., Träg, K. H., & Kirner, L. (2025). Go green: evaluating an XR application on biodiversity in German secondary school classrooms. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-024-09697-1

q3 · i? · causal · r1

Exploratory subgroup breakdown (Benjamini–Hochberg corrected) over six school-type-by-condition groups; the only significant interest gain was the academic-track control group, described as "a medium effect". No effect size is printed in this sentence, so no magnitude is asserted.

"None of the VR groups showed a significant increase in interest. Interest significantly increased in the control group comprised of academic track students, to a medium effect."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Neither the VR application nor the traditional lesson produced a significant positive change in pro-environmental attitudes
• Both a VR application and a traditional lesson increased students' self-appraised knowledge about the Amazon rainforest and biodiversity
• Knowledge-test scores differed strongly between German school types, with academic-track students scoring highest
• General-track students reported significantly lower initial interest in science than science-track students, with no difference in interest gain — related
• Test condition did not affect pre-post learning-outcome differences, but school type was a significant factor in the multivariate model — a broader claim this one bears on
• School type significantly predicted change in environmental-protection attitudes, with academic-track students changing more than combined-school students — related
• Immersive technologies such as virtual reality should reinforce, not substitute, the original educational action — related
• Differential coaching effects across academic tracks were examined by sampling German Hauptschule and Gymnasium students — related