ERIC Number: EJ1488697
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-726X
EISSN: EISSN-1573-336X
Available Date: 2025-09-26
The Role of Haptic Interaction in Embodied Extended-Reality Learning: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis
Peidi Gu1; Yihang Li2; Hailin Ji2; Yiran Zhang2; Yi Zhang1; Yanhong Luo3
Educational Psychology Review, v37 n4 Article 97 2025
While haptic interactions are increasingly integrated into embodied Extended-Reality (XR) educational systems, their impacts on students' learning outcomes remain underexplored. To address this gap, a comprehensive three-level meta-analysis of 25 studies (50 effect sizes) was conducted to evaluate how haptic interactions in XR learning environments affect students' learning (i.e., conceptual learning, operational performance, and user experience). Funnel plots and Egger's regression method revealed no significant publication bias. Results indicated significant improvements in conceptual learning (g = 0.91, 95% CI: [0.40, 1.41]) and user experience (g = 0.48, 95% CI: [0.06, 0.90]) with haptic interactions, though effects on operational performance were non-significant. Moderator analyses explicitly identified key contextual drivers of efficacy: (1) Intervention time: Long-term (g = 0.79) and middle-term (g = 1.65) interventions outperformed short-term implementations; (2) Learning pace: System-paced (g = 0.97) outperformed self-paced; (3) Environment: Both classroom (g = 0.90) and lab (g = 0.87) settings yielded significant gains; (4) Subject domain: Health sciences (g = 0.79) and science technology (g = 0.62) yielded significant gains; (5) Haptic type: Kinesthetic feedback (g = 1.21) surpassed tactile approaches. These findings underscore haptic interactions' potential to enhance educational outcomes through multi-sensory learning, while providing actionable strategies, such as prioritizing kinesthetic tools, to optimize XR-based learning.
Descriptors: Tactual Perception, Computer Simulation, Computer Uses in Education, Outcomes of Education, Intervention, Time Factors (Learning), Pacing, Classroom Environment, Kinesthetic Perception, Health Sciences, Sciences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Beijing Normal University, Beijing Normal University, College of Education for the Future, Zhuhai, China; 2Beijing Normal University, Beijing Normal University, School of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing, China; 3Northwest Minzu University, College of Electrical Engineering, Lanzhou, China

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