What is the relationship between the sense of presence and learning in virtual reality? A 24 years systematic literature review

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>The sense of presence is an important aspect of experiences in Virtual Reality (VR), an emerging technology in education. This construct specifically has been increasingly researched in parallel to learning purposes. However, there is not a consensus in the literature on the outcomes of this association. Aiming to outline a panorama in this regard, a systematic review was conducted, with a comprehensive analysis of 140 primary studies recovered from five worldwide databases. The analysis shows an overview of 24 years of areas, factors, and methodological approaches that seem to be more inclined to benefit from the sense of presence towards learning purposes. We contribute to the advancement of the state of art by providing an understanding of the relationship among these three variables, identifying how to benefit from the sense of presence to further leverage the use of VR for learning purposes.</jats:p>