Effects of Virtual-real fusion on immersion, presence, and learning performance in laboratory education.

Background: Virtual-reality (VR) fusion techniques have become increasingly popular in recent years, and several previous studies have applied them to laboratory education. However, without a basis for evaluating the effects of virtual-real fusion on VR in education, many developers have chosen to abandon this expensive and complex set of techniques. Methods: In this study, we experimentally investigate the effects of virtual-real fusion on immersion, presence, and learning performance. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a PC environment (PCE) operated by mouse; a VR environment (VRE) operated by controllers; or a VR environment running virtual-real fusion (VRVRFE), operated by real hands. Results: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test results for presence and self-efficacy show significant differences between the PCE*VR-VRFE condition pair. Furthermore, the results show significant differences in the intrinsic value of learning performance for pairs PCE*VRVRFE and VRE*VR-VRFE, and a marginally significant difference was found for the immersion group. Conclusions: The results suggest that virtual-real fusion can offer improved immersion, presence, and selfefficacy compared to traditional PC environments, as well as a better intrinsic value of learning performance compared to both PC and VR environments. The results also suggest that virtual-real fusion offers a lower sense of presence compared to traditional VR environments.