Virtual Reality in the Context of Opinions and Preparation of Teachers for Its Use in the Educational Process. A Large-Scale Survey

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is an interesting teaching tool that is increasingly being incorporated into the educational process. Thanks to VR goggles equipped with appropriate sensors and software, it is possible to support the educational process to various extents and at various levels. Of course, in order to achieve the expected results, it is important to properly prepare the teacher – the leader of the educational process. In the context of working with VR goggles, both knowledge and skills in using the new technology are important.At present, little is known about preparing teachers to work with VR technology. As a result, it was decided to conduct mixed research (qualitative and quantitative), verifying the level of knowledge and preparation of teachers to use VR technology in the educational process. As part of the procedure, teachers’ opinions on the possibilities of the educational use of virtual reality were also verified. The research was carried out using a survey sent to randomly selected schools. As a result, the research covered 870 teachers working in both primary and secondary schools. During the research, depending on the analysed values, the following were determined: mean, mode, median, Spearman’s rho correlation, and Cramer’s V correlation were used. The collected data have shown that teachers’ opinions on virtual reality are correlated with their age, gender, and the subject taught. Regarding the preparation of teachers to use VR goggles during education, it should be noted that approximately 74% of them have very low or low knowledge in this area. 18% of teachers have average knowledge of VR goggles, dedicated software, as well as the possibilities and principles of their use in the VR virtual space. On the basis of the collected data, it can be concluded that only 8% of teachers are adequately prepared to teach classes using VR goggles, and their knowledge in this area is at a good or very good level.