Using Immersive Technology in Social and Emotional Learning
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Background
- Singapore teachers face challenges imparting values in Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) without sounding didactic or superficial.
- To address this issue, the Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) in SEL project explores the use of virtual reality (VR) and IVEs in teaching CCE.
- Employing IVEs in CCE helps enhance realism and promote deeper identification with the scenario’s protagonist.
- This helps encourage effective perspective-taking and empathic responses.
Key Insights
- IVE usage helped to effectively evoke empathic feelings, thus potentially fostering responsible decision-making and real-life helping behaviours.
- Students involved in the intervention developed social and emotional learning (SEL) in the domains of:
- Perspective-taking
- Empathy
- Responsible decision-making
- Four aspects potentially impacting IVEs in SEL development were:
- Impact of storyline
- Visual information
- Ability to motivate action
- Shortcomings
Introduction of IVEs in SEL
Research Methodology
Research Findings
What Does This Mean for Teaching and Learning?
Related Links
- SingTeach Issue 45, Nov/Dec 2013, A Literature Review of Game-Based Learning
- SingTeach Issue 81, June, Tapping on Technology; Developing Social and Emotional Skills
Further Readings
For educators interested in the research methodology behind IVEs in SEL, you may refer to:
“In the shoes of another”: immersive technology for social and emotional learning
Downloadable Resources
- VR Lesson Plan (Bullying)
- VR Lesson Plan (Poverty in Singapore)
- PP Narrative (Bullying)
- PP Narrative (Poverty in Singapore)
Research Project
- ‘In the Shoes of Another’: An Exploratory Study of Immersive Technology for Social and Emotional Learning
Research Team
To learn more about this research, please contact Dr Marcus Tan at marcus.tan@nie.edu.sg.
Principal Investigator
- Assoc. Prof Tan Cheng Chye Marcus, Visual & Performing Arts, NIE, NTU.
Co-Principal Investigator
- Asst. Prof Chye Yen Leng Stefanie (formerly of NIE)
Research Assistant
- Ms Shu Min Teng, Visual & Performing Arts, NIE, NTU.
Acknowledgements
IVEs in SEL was funded by the Education Research Funding Programme, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (project no. OER 04/18 MT). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Singapore MOE and NIE.
This knowledge resource was extracted and reconstructed from the published materials from the research team by Ms Shee Yi Xuan, Katherine with input from Dr Marcus Tan and presented on 30 April 2024.