The Future of Education

Virtual reality has been referred to as an “Empathy Machine” as it may enhance levels of emotional contagion, empathetic concern, and perspective-taking. However, studies projecting such findings are often based on experimental lab results involving embodiments of virtual avatars in computer-generated environments (Ruada & Lara, 2020). There is a lack of studies focusing on the effects of 360-cinematic VR experiences in authentic contexts and a scarcity of studies showing whether such immersive experiences significantly differ from equivalent 360-videos watched in a 2D-desktop video format. In this study, students in secondary school role-played unethical situations occurring in authentic classroom settings, like chauvinistic bullying, group-based ostracizing, or use of derogatory or sexist language. The simulations were recorded with 360-cameras and shown to peer students, alternately using Head-Mounted-Displays (HMDs) or computer-screens to watch the simulated scenarios. The 360-cinematic experiences were followed by group reflections, and data from these, along with subsequent group interviews, were analyzed thematically to detect patterns of empathy enhancements, drawing from theories of empathy derived from Martin Buber (1958). The study asks whether empathy enhancement utilizing 360-cinematic VR is actually feasible and proves viable connections between the visceral experiences of first-person perspectives in 360-cinematic storytelling and empathy improvements, both when it comes to emotional contagion, empathetic concern, and perspective-taking. It is also implied that a reasonable way of deploying 360-cinematic VR experiences should combine affective and cognitive methods to facilitate empathic responses, thereby fostering potential axes of resonance in teaching and learning cycles (Rosa, 2019). As for didactic implications, the study even shows that developing and utilizing 360-content is a viable way of contributing to empathy enhancement in educational settings.