Exploring Scaffolding Mechanisms for Learning Regulation in Immersive Collaborative VR Environments

Abstract Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environments offer promising opportunities for collaborative learning, yet they impose substantial sensory and cognitive demands that can challenge effective learning regulation. In collaborative contexts, these challenges are intensified by the need to coordinate individual and group-level processes, requiring heightened metacognitive awareness and shared regulation. This exploratory field study investigates the role of metacognitive scaffolding mechanisms in supporting regulation during collaborative tasks in VR. A Metacognitive Group Awareness Tool (VRMeta-REG tool) was introduced to externalize learners’ perceptions of task understanding, goal setting, and planning, and to visualize group-level states intended to prompt shared reflection and regulation. A pre-post design was employed with N = 43 pre-service teachers working in dyads and triads within a VR environment. Learners used the tool prior to task engagement. Pre- and post-tests assessed learning gains and metacognitive self-perceptions, while Process Analysis (PA) and Temporal Network Analysis (TNA) were applied to visually explore regulatory dynamics during collaboration. High-performing groups demonstrated structured, cyclical regulation patterns, transitioning from early reflection to sustained cognitive engagement. In contrast, low-performing groups misjudged their metacognitive states and struggled to act on the tool’s prompts, leading to fragmented regulation and distraction. These patterns suggest that although the tool facilitates regulation for some, others benefit only with additional, tailored scaffolding when learning in VR. The findings underscore the importance of adaptive scaffolding that activates early metacognitive processes and responds to learners’ regulatory readiness. In sensory-rich, immersive environments, such scaffolds must be sensitive to group differences to ensure focused, sustainable collaboration.