Virtual reality in business management education: Evaluating through the TPACK (technological pedagogical content knowledge) lens

Modern technologies in education are essential for advancing learning processes and improving students' engagement with innovative tools. This research analyzes gamification through immersive virtual reality and traditional platform games to support cognitive development, creative problem-solving, interaction, understanding, and expected performance. The study explores how these approaches impact students in professional programs, such as SMART and related disciplines. Data from 210 undergraduate students across diverse university professional programs were analyzed using a structural equation model. As higher education institutions strive to enhance their curricula by incorporating gamification technologies, it is crucial to understand both the potential benefits and risks. Misapplication these technologies can negatively affect learning outcomes, emphasizing the need for informed implementation of pedagogical strategies. This study demonstrates that characteristics associated with the virtual environment, such as interaction and immersion, significantly enhance students' creativity and comprehension. Ensuring robust interaction and immersion within virtual learning environments correlates with heightened performance expectancy, fostering a more effective and engaging educational experience. By focusing on these aspects, this research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the effective use of digital technologies in education, offering insights into optimizing learning environments to maximize student engagement and learning outcomes. • VR environments boost students' performance expectancy, clarifying learning goals and enhancing academic achievement. • VR enhances comprehension of complex topics better than traditional methods, making it a powerful tool for deeper learning. • VR enables dynamic interactions, keeping students engaged and focused, leading to clearer and more defined learning goals. • VR-based interaction strongly correlates with learner comprehension, highlighting the value of immersive, hands-on experiences for learning.