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VR can help pupils develop empathy and boost creativity, says Professor Yu-Shan Chang

　　Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as an innovative technology across various industries, and has proven to be a valuable tool in education, offering students an entirely new sensory experience. Professor Yu-Shan Chang from the Department of Technology Application and Human Resource Development at National Taiwan Normal University has found that VR provides students with immersive contextual experiences, enhances their spatial and three-dimensional conceptualization, and facilitates the design of user-centered blueprints. 

　　Professor Chang specializes in creativity education and technology education. His research team is dedicated to developing technology-based teaching materials and tools, which are actively promoted in elementary and secondary schools. In recent years, his research has also expanded to AI education and the application of AR/VR in teaching. Recent education research findings have consistently shown that VR applications are effective not only for enhancing conceptual understanding and skill training, but also for improving attitudes and emotional intelligence. Even neuroscience studies have provided physiological evidence to support these claims. Given this, it is increasingly important to explore whether such emerging technologies can be applied effectively in the realm of creative education—this is therefore a topic of growing interest among researchers. 

　　To investigate the impact of VR applications on creativity and design performance, Professor Yu-Shan Chang led his research team in implementing a study within the eighth-grade Living Technology course across six middle school classrooms. In the interior design instructional unit, three classes were assigned to be the experimental group, which received VR-based instruction, while the other three served as the control group, receiving traditional slideshow-based instruction.   

　　The study's findings indicated that VR’s high-quality visuals, animations, interactive features, and immersive environments significantly enhanced students’ learning outcomes. Not only did VR stimulate learners’ learning motivation and foster a positive attitude, but it also helped students develop empathy by allowing them to better understand user needs within specific contexts. As a result, students demonstrated a heightened sensitivity to situational factors in the design process. 

　　In contrast, the control group, which lacked the immersive experience of a virtual environment, relied solely on teacher instruction and personal imagination. However, without a concrete visual reference, students struggled to form clear mental images. Additionally, during the design thinking process, their performance in the empathy stage was noticeably less defined compared to the experimental group. 

　　Of course, the use of VR in the education setting is not without its challenges. According to Professor Yu-Shan Chang, one of the greatest difficulties is finding the right software—a challenge that persists to this day. Furthermore, the available software often has functional limitations; for instance, some VR content does not accurately reflect real-life scenarios and lacks essential physics and engineering simulation features. Another challenge stems from the target learners—middle school students—who have limited hands-on experience and design skills. The lack of prior knowledge and minimal design experience made it difficult for some students to grasp more complex operations and design concepts, which in turn affected their learning outcomes. Additionally, some students experienced motion sickness induced by VR.

　　Professor Yu-Shan Chang emphasizes that VR applications provide students with immersive experiences, helping them develop spatial awareness and three-dimensional conceptualization. Moreover, VR encourages creative exploration by offering more opportunities for experimentation and risk-taking during the design process. He believes that creativity requires the courage to take risks and embrace failure. Through VR, students can repeatedly simulate various scenarios, allowing them to experiment more freely and confidently in a safe, controlled environment. 

　　However, the impact of VR applications on divergent thinking—a key aspect of creative thinking—remains unclear. In other words, while VR’s high-quality 3D visual design enhances students’ conceptual understanding and knowledge acquisition, it does not have a significant effect on general creative thinking abilities. Therefore, additional instructional strategies are needed to further develop students' creative thinking skills. The study also found that factors such as context and task type, different forms of creativity (e.g., leap-based vs. incremental creativity), and varying learning styles all influence learners’ VR engagement, cognitive load, creative thinking, and overall creative performance. Moreover, VR has great potential for educational applications in environments that are high-risk, costly, or difficult to access, making it a valuable tool for achieving instructional goals in such settings. 

　　Regarding future research, Professor Yu-Shan Chang stated that he will continue exploring the effects of VR applications in creativity education, with a particular focus on how VR influences physiological responses such as emotional changes and brainwave activity. By employing scientific methods, his research aims to objectively assess students' creative performance, providing deeper insights into the relationship between creativity and cognition. 

Source: Chang, Y. S., Kao, J. Y., & Wang, Y. Y. (2022). Influences of virtual reality on design creativity and design thinking. Thinking Skills and Creativity,46, Article 101127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101127.

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