Immersive Storytelling in Social Virtual Reality for Human-Centered Learning about Sensitive Historical Events

Abstract

History is a subject that students often find uninspiring in school education. This paper explores the application of social VR metaverse platforms in combination with interactive, nonlinear web platforms designed for immersive storytelling to support learning about a sensitive historical event, namely the Asia Minor Catastrophe. The goal was to design an alternative method of learning history and investigate if it would engage students and foster their independence. A mixed-methods research design was applied. Thirty-four (n = 34) adult participants engaged in the interactive book and VR space over the course of three weeks. After an online workshop, feedback was collected from participants through a custom questionnaire. The quantitative data from the questionnaire were analyzed statistically utilizing IBM SPSS, while the qualitative responses were coded thematically. This study reveals that these two tools can enhance historical education by increasing student engagement, interaction, and understanding. Participants appreciated the immersive and participatory nature of the material. This study concludes that these technologies have the potential to enhance history education by promoting active participation and engagement.