The impact of virtual reality applications on students' achievement and motivation in Ottoman era art and aesthetics topics in Social Studies Courses

In today's technology-driven world, the need for technological integration in various fields is more apparent than ever. Virtual reality (VR), a relatively new technological development, holds potential as an effective teaching material. This research aims to investigate the impact of using VR technology in social studies courses on students' success and motivation.A mixed-method approach was employed in this study, specifically utilizing a convergent parallel mixed design. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously. The study group comprised 133 students attending a public secondary school in the center of Sinop province during the 2023-2024 academic year. Data collection instruments included a Social Studies Course Motivation Scale, an achievement test, and a semi-structured interview form.The implementation process spanned three weeks. The results demonstrated that VR created a statistically significant difference in student achievement between the experimental and control groups, F(1,130) = 13.081, p = .0004. Additionally, there was a significant difference in motivation changes between the experimental and control groups, F(1,130) = 23.203, p < .0001, indicating that VR had a substantial impact on motivation. Qualitative data further revealed that students found VR to be a useful educational tool.