THE EFFECTS OF EXTENDED REALITY TECHNOLOGIES IN STEM EDUCATION ON STUDENTS’ LEARNING RESPONSE AND PERFORMANCE

Abstract

STEM education is a crucial learning area to understand important concepts and gain 21st-century skills in different disciplines, explore scientific knowledge, and solve problems in daily life. However, research in STEM education is scarce on extended reality technologies. This research examined the effects of extended reality integrated STEM on students’ learning response and performance. A quasi-experimental research design was used to find answers to the research questions. The same lecture taught the experimental and control groups but preceded STEM experimental activities at a different time and with distinct instructional strategies and teaching aids. The participants were students in two classes at a university in Taiwan. The research results showed that students in the experimental group applying extended reality-integrated STEM had better learning responses than students in the control group using teaching materials. The results also showed that students in the experimental group learning with an extended reality system could apply the STEM curriculum knowledge acquired in classes and reflect the learning outcomes on the test assessment for better learning performance than students in the control group. In addition, the results revealed that good learning responses could enhance students’ higher learning performance. In light of the results, educational implications are made. Keywords: extended reality, STEM education, learning response, learning performance, experimental research