Immersive Virtual Reality With Haptic Feedback for Supporting Spatial Understanding in Students

Quispe-Flores L.M.; Luque-Cruz J.M.; Heras J.A.E.-L.; Huaman-Gutierrez R.D.; Maraza-Quispe B.; Alejandro-Oviedo O.M.; Rosas-Iman V.H.; Choquehuanca-Quispe W. · Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnologias del Aprendizaje (2026) · DOI: 10.1109/rita.2026.3713775

Resumen

This study examined the contribution of an immersive virtual reality environment with haptic interaction to spatial understanding in secondary Biology education. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with nonequivalent groups was conducted with 60 students, assigned to an experimental group using immersive VR with haptic feedback and a control group receiving traditional instruction with two-dimensional resources. Spatial understanding was assessed through a 20-item test covering spatial visualization, mental rotation, and depth perception. Additional data were collected through immersion and usability scales and structured observations of students' interaction with three-dimensional biological models. Descriptive results showed different performance patterns between groups: the control group presented a decrease in posttest scores, whereas the experimental group showed stability and positive descriptive gains, particularly in mental rotation and depth perception. However, the ANCOVA did not identify statistically significant differences between groups after controlling for pretest scores (p =.832). The effect size was small and uncertain (d = 0.33, 95% CI [-0.12, 0.78]), and the post-hoc power analysis indicated limited sensitivity to detect small effects. Students reported high levels of immersion, multisensory congruence, haptic feedback, and usability, although correlations between perceived experience and learning gains were low and not statistically significant. Overall, the findings suggest that immersive VR with haptic feedback is a feasible pedagogical strategy with favorable descriptive trends, but its effects on spatial understanding require confirmation through larger, longer, and more controlled studies.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa