VE and helped in organizing the overall process of the evaluation. The large-
scale experiment, which took place in 2005, involved a total of fifty (N=50)
children, 25 girls and 25 boys from different schools and socioeconomic
backgrounds, who participated in one of three different conditions, two
experimental VR conditions and a non-VR group.
5.1. Experimental procedure
Each study was conducted with one participant at a time lasting, on average,
90 minutes for each. The experimental methods included direct observation,
interviews and pre- and post-test questionnaires, designed in collaboration
with math teachers. Prior to the main activity, the participant was asked to fill
out a questionnaire with math questions that are based on the fractions
questions found in standardized tests (such as the Key Stage 2 SAT math
test). A user profiling questionnaire was also given at this time. This included
questions that attempted to draw a picture of the child’s familiarity with
computers, frequency of computer game play, and understanding of or prior
experience with virtual reality.
condition |
activity |
interactivity |
immersion |
participants | |
female |
male | ||||
C1: interactive VR (IVR) |
active |
Yes |
yes (VR cave) |
9 |
8 |
C2: passive VR |
passive |
no (watching a |
yes (VR cave) |
5 |
9 |
C3: non-VR |
active |
^No |
no |
∏ |
8 |
25 |
25 | ||||
Total 50 |
Table 1. Condition attributes and numbers of participants involved.
After the questionnaire was completed, the child was assigned to one of three
experimental conditions; either the non-VR condition or one of two VR
conditions (Table 1). Each child participated in only one of the three
conditions of the study (between-groups design). An even spread according to
aptitude and gender was attempted; however the practical difficulties we
encountered in recruiting the participants (one child at a time had to be
13
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