




































BECE. Newsletter 

Vol.15, No.2, 2023, BECE 1809 

 

 

 

 

Does Virtual Reality Help Reduce Learners’ Cognitive 

Load? A Meta-Analysis Based on 23 Experimental 

and Quasi-Experimental Studies 

By Wang, G., Song, J., & Tian, L. 
Correspondence to: Guohua Wang, Henan Normal University, China. E-mail: 

wgh19892008@126.com  

S educational technology advances, virtual reality (VR) has garnered 

widespread attention in academia. Extensive empirical research has 

been undertaken on the effect of VR on cognitive load, despite no consistent 

conclusion having been reached. This article is a meta-analysis of 23 empiri-

cal studies, seeking to examine the impact of VR on cognitive load moderat-

ed by variables such as the discipline, education phase, and intervention du-

ration. Analysis results include: 

 Overall, VR has a moderate mitigation effect on cognitive load. 

 There is no disciplinary difference in the effect of VR on cognitive load. 

The effect remains undetermined in the fields of medical education, 

natural science, and humanities. 

 The impact of VR on cognitive load remains basically constant in dif-

ferent intervention durations. 

 The higher the frequency of intervention, the weaker the impact of VR. 

 VR exhibits a significant mitigation effect on cognitive load under the 

task-driven teaching approach. 

 There is no prominent difference in the effects of differential types of 

VR, such as immersive VR and desktop VR, on cognitive load. 

 VR contributes to alleviating cognitive load in all application scenarios, 

with the most significant effect occurring in manipulative learning, fol-

lowed by that in social and observational learning. 

Based on the research findings, discussions are focused on the following as-

pects: 

i. VR facilitates learners processing information through multiple channels 

of senses, so expanding the restricted work memory capacities and low-

ering cognitive load. 

ii. VR poses the most significant effect on cognitive load in engineering 

disciplines, which requires visualized learning scenarios to support stu-

dents’ hands-on manipulation and grasp of learning content. VR has the 

potential to make abstract concepts more concrete, encourage autono-

A 

mailto:wgh19892008@126.com


 

Vol.15, No.2, 2023, BECE 1810 

mous inquiry and repetition of exercises in learners, thus reducing cogni-

tive load. 

iii. Regarding the intervention duration and frequency, VR can most effec-

tively mitigate cognitive load when the application time is less than 30 

minutes or when it is adopted in one single application. That is because 

the memory and metabolism of the hippocampus will be enhanced due to 

the novelty effect of VR, activating cognitive patterns and maximizing 

their use, and as a result, alleviating cognitive load. 

iv. Task-driven teaching approaches emphasize learning through doing and 

the importance of the agency of students in learning. VR allows students 

a mixed scenario that combines virtual and real worlds, encouraging ac-

tive exploration and problem solving in them. That assists in student 

knowledge construction and reducing cognitive load. 

v. The type of VR technology has little effect on VR’s impact on cognitive 

load. This finding may be due to the incomplete data and the high recep-

tivity of technology on the part of the subjects in the experiments.  

vi. VR is more advantageous in manipulative learning settings because VR-

assisted simulation environments may facilitate students’ mastery of ab-

stract concepts as well as supporting their repeated manipulation and 

timely acquisition of feedback, thus promoting personalized learning that 

helps lower cognitive load. 

 
Source: Open Education Research, 2023; 29(04):110-120. 


