A Comparative Effectiveness of Immersive and Non-Immersive Virtual Reality Modes on Academic Achievement of Pre-Service Teachers in Electrical Electronics Technology in Minna, Niger State

Electrical Electronics Technology Education (EETE) plays a crucial role in training skilled technical instructors and technologists; nevertheless, ongoing low academic performance among future educators has been linked to insufficient workshop resources, hazardous learning conditions, overly abstract teaching materials, and an excessive dependence on traditional instructional techniques. This research explored the relative effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR), augmented virtual reality (AVR), and traditional teaching methods on the educational success of EETE pre-service teachers at Colleges of Education in North Central, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving pre-tests and post-tests with a non-equivalent control group, including 361 NCE III pre-service teachers chosen through complete population sampling. Data were gathered employing a verified Electrical Electronics Technology Achievement Test and examined through mean, standard deviation, and Analysis of Covariance at a significance level of 0.05. The results indicated that pre-service teachers instructed with IVR reached the highest average score on the post-test (Mean = 85.35), followed by AVR (Mean = 78.33), whereas those who were taught using traditional methods showed the lowest average score (Mean = 65.87), with a notable statistical difference between the groups (F(2,357) = 148.151, p < 0.05). The research concludes that learning through virtual reality methods, especially immersive virtual reality, greatly improves academic performance by enhancing visualization, involvement, and comprehension of complex electrical and electronics concepts. It is suggested that institutions for teacher training include virtual reality learning methods in their EETE programs, offer training for educators on using VR for teaching, and that decision-makers endorse the implementation of affordable VR resources to enhance instruction and learning in technical education.