Abstract
Within the dynamic spectrum of educational technologies, virtual reality (VR) has increasingly been esteemed as an indispensable catalyst. It is poised to fundamentally reshape pedagogical methodologies with its promising immersive and interactive experiences aimed at enhancing academic outcomes in K-12 education. However, the empirical impact and scope of VR on K-12 students’ performance are not well-established, highlighting the imperative for robust research to validate and quantify its educational efficacy. Therefore, this study conducts a meta-analysis to assess the specific effects of VR on K-12 students' academic performance. Furthermore, this study investigates the impact of VR across different subgroups to identify factors within these groups that affect its effectiveness. Accordingly, our analysis synthesized data from 33 studies conducted between 2009 and 2025, employing PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor and minimize bias. A random-effects model was employed to synthesize the findings across studies, revealing a statistically significant large positive impact of virtual reality interventions on the academic performance of K-12 students. Further, the study analyzed key moderators, such as level of immersion, grade level, discipline, geographical region, comparison group, and type of VR activity, indicating that VR interventions generally yielded positive effects across most subgroups. These insights offer a basis for refining VR strategies to effectively support learning gains in K-12 education. Future studies should focus more on diversifying the types of quantitative data gathered and exploring varied VR intervention durations to assess the impact more comprehensively.
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