Virtual Reality Utilisation in History Education: Discovery Through a Systematic Quantitative Literature Review

This systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR) spans from 2013 to 2023 and includes 40 research articles that meet the inclusion criteria. It explores the intersection of virtual reality (VR) and history education. This SQLR serves as a scoping of the field, discovering key contributors, publication trends, research types, geographic distribution, participant demographics, educational levels, research methods and designs, key findings, and thematic relationships among key concepts. The key findings indicate a surge in VR-related history/social studies research, with Europe leading in contributions, followed by Asia, North America, South America, and both Africa and Oceania sharing fifth place. Students were the main research participants in the studies included in the review, with the majority of the studies being empirical in nature. The majority of studies focused on higher education and were conducted utilising quantitative research methods and experimental research design. The findings reveal that VR significantly enhances historical knowledge and increases interest. However, it was also found that studies tend to focus on students’ attitudes towards VR as a technology rather than its impact on learning. This study also provides implications.