Enhancing communication competence and managerial skills through virtual reality based experiential learning in management education

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising pedagogical modality in higher management education, offering immersive, risk-free environments that simulate the complexity of real-world organizational interactions. This study investigates whether, and to what extent, VR-based experiential learning is associated with students' communication competence and managerial self-efficacy, drawing on Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. Using a cross-sectional survey design complemented by platform-generated usage logs, we analyzed survey and behavioral data from 412 postgraduate and undergraduate management students across three program types at a research-intensive business school. Ordinary least squares regression served as the primary analysis, supplemented by instrumental-variable estimation (IV/2SLS), generalized method of moments (GMM), and propensity score matching to address potential endogeneity and selection bias. Bootstrap mediation analyses indicated that experiential learning depth and reflective practice partially mediate the associations between VR intensity parameters and both outcomes. Heterogeneity analyses revealed stronger associations among executive-education participants and where instructor facilitation quality was high. Findings were robust to alternative specifications and sample-trimming procedures. The study contributes a multi-method framework for integrating immersive technology into business-school curricula and offers actionable recommendations for curriculum designers, institutional administrators, and educational-technology policymakers.