14/10/2026
🔬 Is XR in the classroom just hype, or does it actually work? We looked at the research! 📚
✅ Augmented Reality boosts learning. A meta-analysis of 64 studies with 4,705 students found AR had a medium positive effect on learning gains. (Garzón & Acevedo, 2019, Educational Research Review)
✅ Virtual Reality helps too. A review of 48 studies with over 3,000 participants found that immersive VR led to better learning than other teaching methods. (Coban, Bolat & Goksu, 2022, Educational Research Review)
✅ It works in hospitality training. At the Hotel Management School Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, VR training engaged students, and those who had used VR before got even more out of it. (van der Meulen & de Vries, 2025, Research in Hospitality Management)
⚠️ But more “wow” doesn’t always mean more learning! One study found students felt more present in a VR lab but learned less, because there was too much to process at once. (Makransky, Terkildsen & Mayer, 2019, Learning and Instruction)
💡 The lesson: XR is a powerful tool when it is designed with clear learning goals and students get a proper introduction to it. That’s exactly what TourXpeRience builds for tourism education. 🌍
👉 Explore our free e-learning platform: https://tourxperience.learning-platform.eu/
💬 Teachers, have you tried XR in your lessons? What worked for you?
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References:
Garzón & Acevedo. (2019). Meta-analysis of the impact of Augmented Reality on students’ learning gains. Educational Research Review, 27.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1747938X18301805)
Coban, M., Bolat, Y. I., & Goksu, I. (2022). The potential of immersive virtual reality to enhance learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 36.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1747938X22000215?via%3Dihub)
Meulen & de Vries. (2025). Enhancing hospitality skills with VR: adapting to learning styles. Research in Hospitality Management. 15. 124-138. 10.1080/22243534.2025.2481280.
(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392187328_Enhancing_hospitality_skills_with_VR_adapting_to_learning_styles)
Makransky, Guido & Terkildsen, Thomas & Mayer, Richard. (2017). Adding Immersive Virtual Reality to a Science Lab Simulation Causes More Presence But Less Learning. Learning and Instruction. 60. 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.12.007.
(https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321978607_Adding_Immersive_Virtual_Reality_to_a_Science_Lab_Simulation_Causes_More_Presence_But_Less_Learning)
