Investigation of self-efficacy in the virtual & augmented reality learning environments

• Main Author: Lee, Theresa Hui Qi
• Other Authors: Cai Yiyu
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Aeronautical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/150926
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Self-efficacy is a person’s judgement in their own abilities and knowledge, and their belief in how well they can perform and achieve in tasks. Students with higher self-efficacy tend to do better academically. As such, it is beneficial increase students’ self-efficacy in order to improve their academic performance. One way to do so is to use virtual & augmented reality (VAR) in the classroom. Hence, the objective of this study was to measure the effects of VAR on students’ self-efficacy and academic performance. Students’ self-efficacy and academic performance was measured with surveys and regular tests as they participated in lessons with VAR learning environments over five weeks. Qualitative data was obtained from post-lesson focus-group discussions. The data collected showed there was a significant increase in students’ self-efficacy levels and academic performance after five weeks of VAR lessons. Qualitative analysis was performed on the interview data to determine the reasons of VAR affecting self-efficacy and academic performance. This was likely due to the collaborative, interactive, and immersive nature of the VAR learning environment, which enriched students’ learning experiences. VAR was determined to be an effective tool in increasing students’ learning effectiveness. This study addresses the research gap in how VAR affects students’ self-efficacy, and how the VAR system can be improved for its use in education. It is recommended that further studies are conducted on the effects of VAR on students’ self-efficacy and academic performance due to the small sample size of this study.