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The impact of immersive virtual reality on art education: A study of flow state, cognitive load, brain state, and motivation

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Abstract

This paper presents a new art metaverse prototype, constructed using virtual reality technology to create an immersive scene with a specific artistic style and integrate virtual avatar technology to allow interaction with characters in the art painting. Ninety-six college students participated in the study, divided into two groups: the virtual reality group (N = 48), who explored the art metaverse, and the computer group (N = 48), who engaged in traditional art appreciation by viewing artworks on a screen. Both groups then participated in art painting activities. The results showed that the virtual reality group experienced a significantly more positive impact on their art attitude compared to the computer group. Furthermore, EEG attention monitoring revealed that during the art painting activity following the art appreciation activity, the virtual reality group demonstrated significantly higher attention levels than the computer group. This study highlights the potential of virtual reality technology to enhance art appreciation and provides valuable insights for the future development of virtual reality metaverses.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the philosophy and social science research Post-funding for Chinese Ministry of Education（22JHQ085).

Funding

Chinese Ministry of Education（22JHQ085).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Curriculum and Instruction & Classroom Analysis Lab, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Xiaozhe Yang & Xin Liu

  2. Department of Information Management, Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Pei-Yu Cheng & Sheng-Pao Shih

Authors
  1. Xiaozhe Yang
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  2. Pei-Yu Cheng
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  3. Xin Liu
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  4. Sheng-Pao Shih
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Contributions

PYC and XY have drafted the work and substantively revised it. XL has collected the data.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pei-Yu Cheng.

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Appendices

Appendix 1. The art attitude questionnaire

  1. (a)

    I think learning Van Gogh's artwork is interesting and valuable.

  2. (b)

    I would like to learn more and observe more about Van Gogh's artwork.

  3. (c)

    It is worth learning those things about Van Gogh's artwork.

  4. (d)

    It is important for me to learn the Van Gogh's artwork well.

  5. (e)

    It is important to know Van Gogh's artwork in relation to our living environment.

  6. (f)

    I will actively search for more information and learn about Van Gogh's artwork.

  7. (g)

    It is important for everyone to learn Van Gogh's artwork.

Appendix 2. The flow status scale

  1. (a)

    I felt in control of what I was doing during the learning activity.

  2. (b)

    I was absorbed intensely by the activity.

  3. (c)

    I found the activity enjoyable.

  4. (d)

    I found the activity interesting.

  5. (e)

    I was completely immersed in this learning activity.

  6. (f)

    During the learning activity, time seemed to pass fast.

  7. (g)

    The activity excited my curiosity.

  8. (h)

    I knew the right thing to do in the learning activity.

Appendix 3. The cognitive load scale

  1. (a)

    The learning content in this learning activity was difficult for me.

  2. (b)

    I had to put a lot of effort into answering the questions in this learning activity.

  3. (c)

    It was troublesome for me to answer the questions in this learning activity.

  4. (d)

    I felt frustrated answering the questions in this learning activity.

  5. (e)

    I did not have enough time to answer the questions in this learning activity.

  6. (f)

    During the learning activity, the way of instruction or learning content presentation caused me a lot of mental effort.

  7. (g)

    I need to put lots of effort into completing the learning tasks or achieving the learning objectives in this learning activity.

  8. (h)

    The instructional way in the learning activity was difficult to follow and understand.

Appendix 4. The adapted copy of Van Gogh's painting "Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles"

figure a

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Yang, X., Cheng, PY., Liu, X. et al. The impact of immersive virtual reality on art education: A study of flow state, cognitive load, brain state, and motivation. Educ Inf Technol 29, 6087–6106 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12041-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12041-8

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