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Can Virtual Technology Be Used to Improve Students' Perspective Taking Ability? Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

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Title: Can Virtual Technology Be Used to Improve Students' Perspective Taking Ability? Evidence from a Meta-Analysis
Language: English
Authors: Tianhui Hu, Bo He, Huanyou Chai, Shuai Yuan, Fan Yang
Source: British Journal of Educational Technology. 2026 57(4):1071-1093.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 23
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Information Analyses
Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Descriptors: Educational Technology, Computer Uses in Education, Computer Simulation, Electronic Learning, Skill Development, Perspective Taking, Meta Analysis, Effect Size, Influence of Technology, Adult Students, Teaching Methods, Feedback (Response), Visual Stimuli, Inquiry, Discovery Learning, Testing, Observational Learning
DOI: 10.1111/bjet.70049
ISSN: 0007-1013
1467-8535
Abstract: Virtual technology holds tremendous potential for cultivating students' perspective taking ability. It contributes to diminishing intergroup conflict and enhancing social harmony by facilitating students' understanding and adoption of an alternative perspective. This study used meta-analysis to test the overall effect of virtual technology on students' perspective taking ability. A total of 20 experimental (quasi) studies (published between 2009 and 2024) that documented either a comparison between a group adopting virtual technologies (21 effect sizes in 15 studies) and a control group or a pre-post comparison (six effect sizes in five studies) were identified through the literature search. Utilizing a random effects model to compute effect sizes, the results revealed that virtual technology exerts a medium influence on perspective taking ability (Hedges' g = 0.505), with notable heterogeneity observed across the studies. Furthermore, the moderator analysis results indicated that virtual technology is more influential (a) on adult learners, (b) when adopted to teach declarative knowledge, (c) when offering visual clues feedback, (d) when combined with inquiry-discovery or test assessment method, (e) when accompanied by observational learning and (f) when in an experimental period lasting 30-90 minutes. These findings provide beneficial insights for future research and practical applications aimed at adopting virtual technology to cultivate students' perspective-taking ability.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1508632
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 10.1111/bjet.70049
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– Name: Abstract
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  Data: Virtual technology holds tremendous potential for cultivating students' perspective taking ability. It contributes to diminishing intergroup conflict and enhancing social harmony by facilitating students' understanding and adoption of an alternative perspective. This study used meta-analysis to test the overall effect of virtual technology on students' perspective taking ability. A total of 20 experimental (quasi) studies (published between 2009 and 2024) that documented either a comparison between a group adopting virtual technologies (21 effect sizes in 15 studies) and a control group or a pre-post comparison (six effect sizes in five studies) were identified through the literature search. Utilizing a random effects model to compute effect sizes, the results revealed that virtual technology exerts a medium influence on perspective taking ability (Hedges' g = 0.505), with notable heterogeneity observed across the studies. Furthermore, the moderator analysis results indicated that virtual technology is more influential (a) on adult learners, (b) when adopted to teach declarative knowledge, (c) when offering visual clues feedback, (d) when combined with inquiry-discovery or test assessment method, (e) when accompanied by observational learning and (f) when in an experimental period lasting 30-90 minutes. These findings provide beneficial insights for future research and practical applications aimed at adopting virtual technology to cultivate students' perspective-taking ability.
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      – SubjectFull: Computer Simulation
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