Grave Errors: Exploring the Influence of Motion Mechanics on Learning Outcomes in a Virtual Cemetery

Systematic research examining affordances such as navigability are important for understanding how to design virtual learning environments. To explore this, a fully immersive virtual cemetery modeled after Edgar Lee Masters’ (1915) fictitious Spoon River Anthology was created to assess how motion mechanics related to participant navigability would influence learning outcomes. A 2 × 2, fully crossed, between-subjects (N = 116) experiment manipulating navigation type (natural walking vs. teleportation) and type of piloting (proximal vs. distal orientations) was tested. Participants used the Oculus Rift S virtual reality (VR) headset with a portable backpack, allowing unimpeded movement to complete the study. Results demonstrated that the type of navigation and piloting orientation differentially influenced learning performance. Specifically, an interaction effect occurred where participants in the natural walking with a distal orientation condition showed significantly higher scores on narrative testing, spatial location, and spatial reconstruction tasks, when compared to the teleportation with distal orientation condition. Implications for how these findings may be used in VR environments where the prime objective is learning are discussed.