What's So Special About Spatial?

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) technology has been steadily used for research purposes over the past few decades and is now gaining attraction in educational settings. Spatial understanding of learners is one of these research topics. Although there are plenty of studies focusing on VR and spatial abilities separately, there has not been a comprehensive review of papers that focus specifically on both VR and spatial ability. To address this question, an electronic search of articles from 2015 to 2019 was conducted that found 923 articles, 26 of which met the criteria of specifically discussing 'spatial abilities' and 'VR environments'. Eleven out of 26 articles reported the reason for using VR as a spatial assessment tool. The most frequently-mentioned spatial ability that was studied was mental rotation ability. This review revealed a special link between spatial ability and VR. VR can be both diagnostic and therapeutic for spatial skills; VR is an excellent tool for examining spatial ability in individuals and also individuals can enhance their spatial abilities through using virtual reality.