Real versus Metaverse Experience: A Pilot Study

How do learning experiences in virtual reality (VR) compare with equivalent real-world educational scenarios? While VR is increasingly adopted as an ecological medium to simulate complex phenomena, a critical issue remains the extent to which VR-based instruction replicates traditional learning in terms of cognitive, emotional, and educational outcomes. By integrating advanced technologies, such as virtual reality, this study aims to compare the impact of metaverse and traditional lectures on emotional and cognitive engagement. Using a within-subjects design, 24 graduate students participated in both a traditional lecture and a metaverse session delivered via the Meta Quest 2 headset. Measures of flow, emotional states, and epistemic engagement were collected using validated scales and Bayesian statistical analysis. Results indicated that while general emotional responses were comparable across conditions, participants reported significantly higher absorption and perceived awe in the metaverse lecture condition. Furthermore, interest, curiosity, and willingness to repeat the experience were enhanced in the virtual setting. These findings suggest that immersive technologies may enhance engagement and emotional responses in educational contexts, offering a promising path for the design of next generation learning environments. Future research should explore both the learning effectiveness and the psychological affordances of immersive technologies across diverse educational domains.