The influence of virtual reality as an educational tool on teachers' pedagogy

Abstract

This study explores how does the use of Virtual Reality (VR) simulation as a technology tool influence teachers’ pedagogy. VR is a relatively new technology in the primary school classroom environment. This study explored how the use of this immersive, multimodal technology influenced the teachers’ pedagogy, their teaching and learning practices. The conceptual framework depicts the relationship between the teachers’ planning, resource selection, learning theories and the influence of the VR resource. Eight intermediate phase teachers from four private schools within a range of socio-economic groups in South Africa participated in this qualitative instrumental case study with a constructivist-interpretivist research design. Schools were purposefully selected, and participants taught at those schools and volunteered to be part of the study. The participants communicated both opportunities and challenges during the lessons. The teachers’ experiences and observations influenced their teaching pedagogy. Thematically analysed the data, using an inductive approach. More research is also needed to understand the deeper underlying reasons for the excitement of using VR, possibly by comparing the use of VR to that of high-resolution videos and/or images. This study demonstrates that technology has a positive influence as an educational tool on teachers' pedagogy; however, if the use of VR increases within the schooling sector, further investigations into educators’ professional development might assist teachers to integrate technology into their teaching practices.