Eficacia de la Educación en Sostenibilidad Basada en Realidad Virtual para Fomentar la Empatía Ambiental
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial
Abstract: Sustainability education seeks to foster pro-environmental attitudes, yet traditional methods often fail to generate deep emotional connections. This study evaluates the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) in fostering environmental empathy among university students, comparing it with an educational video and a control group. A total of 120 students participated, randomly assigned to three groups: one experienced an immersive VR simulation regarding deforestation, another watched a documentary, and the third received no intervention. Environmental empathy and the intention to adopt sustainable behaviors were measured before and after the intervention using validated scales. Results indicate that the VR group experienced a significant increase in environmental empathy (p < 0.01) and showed a greater willingness to engage in sustainable behaviors, with effects persisting at the four-week mark. The video group showed minor improvements, while the control group showed no changes. The high sense of presence in VR correlated with higher levels of empathy. These findings suggest that VR is a powerful tool for sustainability education, as it fosters emotional connections with the environment, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional methods.
Institution: Instituto Superior Tecnológico Rey David
Language: Spanish
Subfield: Human-Computer Interaction
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7214100930