A Virtual Reality Application and an Interactive Board Game for Students Learning to Program

This study investigates the pedagogical effectiveness of three instructional formats for teaching block-based programming: an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment, a tactile board game (BG), and a traditional digital manual. Two interactive prototypes (VR and BG) were developed and validated t...

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Main Authors: Anna Tonda Ramos, Agueda Gomez-Cambronero, Ignacio Miralles, Inmaculada Remolar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11030598/
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author Anna Tonda Ramos
Agueda Gomez-Cambronero
Ignacio Miralles
Inmaculada Remolar
author_facet Anna Tonda Ramos
Agueda Gomez-Cambronero
Ignacio Miralles
Inmaculada Remolar
author_sort Anna Tonda Ramos
collection DOAJ
description This study investigates the pedagogical effectiveness of three instructional formats for teaching block-based programming: an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment, a tactile board game (BG), and a traditional digital manual. Two interactive prototypes (VR and BG) were developed and validated to ensure functional and educational reliability. A three-way experimental design was employed to evaluate learner engagement, conceptual understanding, and satisfaction. Results revealed that both VR and BG significantly outperformed the traditional digital format across all metrics, with VR showing slightly higher engagement due to its immersive features. However, the BG demonstrated comparable learning outcomes and stronger accessibility. These findings validate the study’s hypotheses, emphasizing the value of interactivity in education. The BG emerges as an effective, low-tech alternative in contexts where VR access is limited, reinforcing the importance of well-designed physical tools in programming education.
format Article
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issn 2169-3536
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher IEEE
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series IEEE Access
spelling doaj-art-b3cd9e683c0e4429826f6b883ddcb3462025-08-20T03:24:08ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-011310632210633510.1109/ACCESS.2025.357876911030598A Virtual Reality Application and an Interactive Board Game for Students Learning to ProgramAnna Tonda Ramos0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5909-4588Agueda Gomez-Cambronero1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2986-4331Ignacio Miralles2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1205-5434Inmaculada Remolar3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7743-2579Instituto de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Imagen (INIT), Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, SpainInstituto de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Imagen (INIT), Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, SpainInstituto de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Imagen (INIT), Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, SpainInstituto de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Imagen (INIT), Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, SpainThis study investigates the pedagogical effectiveness of three instructional formats for teaching block-based programming: an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment, a tactile board game (BG), and a traditional digital manual. Two interactive prototypes (VR and BG) were developed and validated to ensure functional and educational reliability. A three-way experimental design was employed to evaluate learner engagement, conceptual understanding, and satisfaction. Results revealed that both VR and BG significantly outperformed the traditional digital format across all metrics, with VR showing slightly higher engagement due to its immersive features. However, the BG demonstrated comparable learning outcomes and stronger accessibility. These findings validate the study’s hypotheses, emphasizing the value of interactivity in education. The BG emerges as an effective, low-tech alternative in contexts where VR access is limited, reinforcing the importance of well-designed physical tools in programming education.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11030598/Board gamesblock programmingcomputational thinkingeducation technologyinteractive learningvirtual reality
spellingShingle Anna Tonda Ramos
Agueda Gomez-Cambronero
Ignacio Miralles
Inmaculada Remolar
A Virtual Reality Application and an Interactive Board Game for Students Learning to Program
IEEE Access
Board games
block programming
computational thinking
education technology
interactive learning
virtual reality
title A Virtual Reality Application and an Interactive Board Game for Students Learning to Program
title_full A Virtual Reality Application and an Interactive Board Game for Students Learning to Program
title_fullStr A Virtual Reality Application and an Interactive Board Game for Students Learning to Program
title_full_unstemmed A Virtual Reality Application and an Interactive Board Game for Students Learning to Program
title_short A Virtual Reality Application and an Interactive Board Game for Students Learning to Program
title_sort virtual reality application and an interactive board game for students learning to program
topic Board games
block programming
computational thinking
education technology
interactive learning
virtual reality
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11030598/
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