Investigation of academic achievement, motivation, retention and technology acceptance levels of students receiving anatomy education in metaverse environment

The aim of this study is to examine the academic achievement, retention, motivation, and technology acceptance levels of students receiving anatomy education in a metaverse environment. A convergent parallel design, one of the mixed research method designs, was employed in the study. In the quantitative dimension, a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design and structural equation modeling were applied. In the qualitative dimension, students' opinions regarding anatomy education in the metaverse environment were collected using an interview form. The research was conducted during the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year with first-year students from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Midwifery and Nursing, Gaziantep Islam Science and Technology University. Data collection tools included an academic achievement test, a motivation scale, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology-2 (UTAUT2) scale, and an interview form. The data analysis involved structural equation modeling using partial least squares, independent samples t-tests, paired samples t-tests, and content analysis. According to the quantitative findings, there was no significant difference between the pre-test achievement scores of the experimental and control groups. Analyzing the post-test achievement scores, it was found that the experimental group had a higher average score compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups. The retention test also indicated no significant difference between the experimental and control groups. On the other hand, although there was no significant difference in motivation scores at the beginning of the study, it was found that at the end of the study, the motivation scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Based on the results of the structural equation modelling in the research, it has been demonsrated that social influence, facilitating conditions and habit variables influence behavioral intention. Also habit variable affects usage behavior. Analysis of responses to the UTAUT2 scale showed that students exhibited the highest participation in hedonic motivation and the least participation in the habit variable. According to the qualitative findings, it was determined that the majority of students had not previously heard of the metaverse, but they found the metaverse environment beneficial both in terms of motivation and education. Most students expressed that they would be pleased to take their classes in the metaverse environment in the future. However, it was observed that students encountered technical issues and problems related to internet speed while using this environment. Keywords: Metaverse, Anatomy Education, Motivation, Academic Achievement, Retention, UTAUT2.