Effective innovative technological methods or a threat to students’ cognitive abilities and psychological state? VR headsets in online chemistry learning


Amirbekova E. Shertayeva N. Korobeynikova E. Aysina T.
2026Routledge

Open Learning
2026#41Issue 183 - 95 pp.

The purpose of this study was to introduce a method of teaching chemistry through virtual reality headsets via online platforms and to further assess the participants’ cognitive abilities and psychological states throughout the learning process. The experiment included 50 respondents. The respondents were divided beforehand into a control group and an experimental group. The former group was taught remotely through the Zoom app, while the latter was taught online through VR technology. The experimental group experienced lower levels of depression and anxiety than the control group, with p-values of 0.008 and 0.004 (p < 0.01), respectively. Memory and visuospatial skills improved significantly in the experimental group, with p-values of 0.038 (p < 0.05) and 0.01 (p < 0.01), respectively. Cognitive ability criteria such as concentration and abstract thinking were also higher in the experimental group after VR training, with p-values of 0.014 (p < 0.05) and 0.006 (p < 0.01), respectively. However, there was no statistically significant difference in academic performance between the groups throughout the experiment, with a p-value of 0.553.

Chemistry learning , cognitive development , psycho-emotional state , virtual reality , VR headsets

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Department of Chemistry, South Kazakhstan Pedagogical University named after Ozbekali Zhanibekov, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Department of Physical and Chemical Principles of Combustion and Fire Suppression, Saint-Petersburg University of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Department of Polyclinic Therapy, IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation

Department of Chemistry
Department of Physical and Chemical Principles of Combustion and Fire Suppression
Department of Polyclinic Therapy

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