Enhancing Learning and Knowledge Retention of Abstract Physics Concepts with Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for science education, offering interactive environments to explore intangible concepts. Traditional teaching methods often struggle to convey abstract concepts in science, where many phenomena are not directly observable. VR can address this issue by modeling and visualizing complex and unobservable entities and processes, allowing learners to dynamically interact with what would otherwise not be directly perceptible. However, relatively few controlled studies have compared immersive VR learning with equivalent hands-on laboratory learning in physics education, particularly for more abstract topics. In this work, we designed a VR-based physics lab that is capable of visualizing electrons and electromagnetic fields to teach fundamental concepts of electronics and magnetism, closely replicating a traditional electronics learning kit used as a baseline for comparison. We evaluated the impact of the two conditions (VR versus traditional) on students' learning outcomes, motivation, engagement, and cognitive load. Our results show significantly higher knowledge retention in the VR group compared to the traditional group. Also, while there were no significant differences in immediate comprehension between the two groups, participants in the VR group spent substantially more time engaged with the learning content. These findings highlight the potential of visually enriched virtual environments to enhance the learning experience and improve knowledge retention of intangible scientific concepts.