STEM-Integrated VR/AR Learning for Enhancing Students’ Critical Thinking: Evidence from a Single-Class Study

Abstract

This study aims to examine the role of STEM-integrated Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) learning in enhancing students’ critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is an essential competency, particularly in STEM disciplines, where students are required to analyze information, evaluate evidence, and solve complex problems. However, international assessments suggest that students’ critical thinking abilities remain relatively underdeveloped, especially in subjects such as chemistry, where many concepts are abstract and difficult to visualize. A quasi-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was employed to evaluate students’ critical thinking skills. Participants completed a pretest prior to engaging with the STEM-AR/VR learning intervention and a posttest afterward to measure any changes in performance. The results indicated a statistically significant improvement in students’ critical thinking skills, with overall significance (2-tailed) values below 0.05. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on immersive educational technologies and highlight the potential of STEM-integrated VR/AR learning environments to support higher-order thinking skills. As it includes features such as chemistry concept applications, a mobile-based self-learning module, engagement in iterative design, testing, and refinement processes,  use of quantitative reasoning and data analysis to justify and evaluate solutions, and the use of AR/VR tools to visualize abstract chemical phenomena. It also provides insights into their role in fostering critical thinking in STEM education, with implications for curriculum design and educational policy.