2025/04/17 by Eileen McGivney, McGivney, Eileen
Computer Science · Social Sciences · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Geography Education and Pedagogy #Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC) #Innovative Education and Learning Practices #Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2504.12593
openalex publication_date 2025/04/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Learning is an active process that is deeply tied to physical and social contexts. Yet schools traditionally place learners in a passive role and focus on decontextualizing knowledge. Situating learning in more authentic tasks and contexts typically requires taking it outside the classroom via field trips and apprenticeships, but virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool to bring more authentically situated learning experiences into classrooms. In this position paper, I discuss how one of VR's primary affordances for learning is heightening agenct, and how such heightened agency can facilitate more authenticlaly situated learning by allowing learners legitimate peripheral participation.