What determines learners’ active participation in Metaverse-based learning in an emerging market

Purpose The study aims to explicate how Metaverse boosts learners’ cognition, decision confidence and active participation in Metaverse-based learning (MBL). Design/methodology/approach A survey is designed with 523 respondents. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is conducted using online data to verify a research model. Findings Results demonstrate that Metaverse-related characteristics, namely interactivity, corporeity, persistence, immersion and personalized experience, aid in strengthening learners’ cognitive processing and decision confidence, whilst escapism does not influence decision confidence in MBL. Furthermore, user-related dimensions, including personal innovativeness and perceived trendiness, are the underlying motivations for decision confidence. Additionally, cognitive processing is positively associated with decision confidence, which considerably fosters learners’ active participation in MBL. Originality/value Limited studies have been conducted to illuminate a mechanism of cognitive processing, decision confidence and active participation among learners toward MBL in light of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) paradigm. Therefore, a substantial amount of knowledge is supplemented to enlighten whether learners in a developing country may generate their engagement with MBL.