Embodied Encounters with Virtual Reality in Geography Education

Bibliographic Data

ID5608913
AuthorsRichard Carter-White (0000-0001-9231-9315, Macquarie University), Maartje Roelofsen (0000-0003-0952-0849, Wageningen University & Research, corresponding author)
Year2025
Pages1-9
Publication date2025-10-16
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnnals of the American Association of Geographers (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2469-4452 • E-ISSN: 2469-4460
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/24694452.2025.2566740
OpenAlexW4415246072
LanguageEN
References cited24

Virtual reality (VR) constitutes a deeply embodied mode of communication that has gained significant interest and application in geography education and research. In this article, we engage with recent theoretical work to conceptualize VR as a communicative encounter and centralize the role of embodiment therein. We argue that different bodies experience VR in different ways, which raises questions about the potential inequalities of access and experience among users. To further articulate this, we draw on a qualitative study investigating the subjective experiences of participants engaging in a series of VR field trips to sites of difficult heritage. Through interviews and participant observation, we discuss the embodied dynamics at play in the course of VR field trips and how these media dynamics might affect equality of access and learning within geography curricula in higher education. By considering the various biases toward the bodies of particular users, our findings challenge assumptions that incorporating VR into geography education improves accessibility, and we conclude by providing suggestions on how encountering VR can become more inclusive in embodied terms

Curriculum · Embodied cognition · Human geography · Metaverse · TRIPS architecture · Virtual reality · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Geography and Education Methods · Geography Education and Pedagogy

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