Testing an Immersive Virtual Environment for Decreasing Intergroup Anxiety among University Students: An Interpersonal Perspective

Authors

  • Venla Kuuluvainen Tampere University Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences Kalevantie 4 33014 Tampereen yliopisto
  • Ira Virtanen Tampere University Kalevantie 4 33014 Tampereen yliopisto
  • Lassi Rikkonen Tampere University Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences Kalevantie 4 33014 Tampereen yliopisto
  • Pekka Isotalus Tampere University Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences Kalevantie 4 33014 Tampereen yliopisto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i16.19673

Keywords:

multicultural learning, intergroup anxiety, interpersonal communication, immersive virtual environment, parasocial contact

Abstract


This study examined the use of an immersive virtual environment (IVE) in decreasing intergroup anxiety among university students. In Dinner-time360 , the students engaged in an interpersonal encounter by sharing a virtual dinner table with someone from another linguistic or cultural group. A control group watched the documentary in a traditional 2D format. The re-sults showed that the documentary reduced intergroup anxiety in both situa-tions, particularly among students with high anxiety who engaged in the IVE. For the IVE viewers, the decrease in intergroup anxiety was connected to two interpersonal elements: perceptions of the character’s immediacy and an in-creased level of homophily. These findings provide insights into the possibil-ities of IVEs in multicultural learning among university students.

Author Biographies

Venla Kuuluvainen, Tampere University Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences Kalevantie 4 33014 Tampereen yliopisto

Ph.D., Postdoctoral researcher Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences

Ira Virtanen, Tampere University Kalevantie 4 33014 Tampereen yliopisto

Ph.D., Specialist Doctoral School of Tampere University

Lassi Rikkonen, Tampere University Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences Kalevantie 4 33014 Tampereen yliopisto

M.A., Doctoral researcher Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences

Pekka Isotalus, Tampere University Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences Kalevantie 4 33014 Tampereen yliopisto

Ph.D., Professor Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences

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Published

2021-08-23

How to Cite

Kuuluvainen, V., Virtanen, I., Rikkonen, L., & Isotalus, P. (2021). Testing an Immersive Virtual Environment for Decreasing Intergroup Anxiety among University Students: An Interpersonal Perspective. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 16(16), pp. 202–220. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i16.19673

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 16 (2021)

Section

Papers

License

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