PEDAGOGICAL IMPACT OF MULTI SENSORY VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATIONS ON HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TAKING AND SPATIAL UNDERSTANDING IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

The development of historical perspective-taking and spatial cognition has been a long-standing issue in secondary education, where traditional text-centred, lecture-based methods of study can hardly engage students in the complex historical environment. The paper under analysis explores the pedagogical effects of multi-sensory Virtual Reality (VR) simulation on students' understanding of historical perspectives and spatial-temporal relationships. The quasi-experimental design was used in which 120 students of secondary schools were recruited to take part in the study; in the control group (n = 60), students were subjected to traditional instructions; in the experimental group (n = 60), students underwent multi-sensory VR simulations with the introduction of 3D visualisation, spatial sound, and other interactive environmental stimuli. Historical perspective-taking and spatial understanding were assessed using standardised rubrics and scenario-based tests, which were pre- and post-tested. The finding revealed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group compared with the control group. The VR group and the control group also had higher perspective-taking scores of 54.3% and 55.1%, respectively, which increased to 82.7% and 63.4%, respectively (delta = 28.4% and delta = 8.3%). The difference in scores between the spatial understanding VR and control groups was 31.6% and 10.2%, respectively, and the effect size was significant (Cohen's d = 0.88). Also, 87% of VR group students reported increased engagement compared with 46% in the traditional environment. The results also indicate that multi-sensory VR simulations are beneficial for history education, particularly for cognitive and spatial learning. The research concludes that VR-based pedagogy, as an immersive approach, is a highly effective method for teaching secondary school students, enhancing their historical empathy and spatial reasoning skills.

Hali tarjima qilinmagan