Emotional and Technological Engagement in VR-STEM Learning: Evidence from a Rural Community in Ecuador

Abstract

Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a transformative tool in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, offering new pathways for student motivation, engagement, and conceptual exploration. Nonetheless, limited research addresses how learners from vulnerable communities, particularly girls with limited prior exposure to advanced technologies, emotionally and behaviorally respond to VR-based immersive learning. This study introduced a novel model to represent the pathway Technology Acceptance → Emotional Engagement → Re-Engagement Intention within a short VR-STEM activity conducted among girls (N = 11, ages 8–18) from rural Colta, Ecuador. Using the Meta Quest 3 headset, participants completed two structured sessions (“Oasis Home” and “First Steps – Dancing Robot”). Emotional assessments were collected before, immediately after, and one-hour post-immersion. Results revealed a rise in Excited emotions (20% → 80%), absence of confusion or boredom, and strong re-engagement intention (93–100%). These findings underscore the potential of intuitive, emotionally positive VR experiences to promote sustained engagement among girls in underserved settings, informing the design of inclusive VR-STEM frameworks.