Immersive Virtual Reality for Zero-Emission Education: Exploring Environmental Literacy and Analytical Skills among Elementary Students

This study explores immersive virtual reality media to support environmental literacy and analytical skills among elementary school students within the context of zero-emission education. Employing an exploratory design integrating qualitative analysis, descriptive statistics, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), data were collected through interviews, observations, expert evaluations, written feedback, and questionnaires involving three experts and 100 fifth-grade students across eight elementary schools. The results indicate a media feasibility score of 90.34% and a student response score of 81.99%. Specific ratings were 94.05% for content, 91.07% for pedagogy, and 85.71% for media quality. Performance metrics included 85.38% for analytical skills, 83.11% for environmental literacy, 86.89% for media presentation, and 70.81% for practical application. Student experiences were shaped through contextual exploration, environmental change simulations, decision-making, and visual feedback. The media assisted students in identifying problems, tracing cause-and-effect relationships, determining solutions, and drawing conclusions. The assessment prioritized responsible behavior, causal analysis, and solution determination. Successful implementation requires device orientation, simple navigation, clear instructions, and teacher guidance. The study establishes a concept for decision-based immersive environmental learning that emphasizes student agency, environmental consequence evaluation, and the integration of environmental literacy with analytical skills, providing both a theoretical foundation and practical implementation guidelines for schools.