Abstract
In terms of technological advantages, virtual reality or augmented reality remains less popular within the field of learning disabilities. Research shows that children with learning disabilities face various challenges in their day-to-day lives dealing with these disorders, demanding massive solutions. This chapter will address the pros and cons of virtual reality in learning disabilities across different age groups by combining theories of virtual worlds and learning disorders. Exciting research in virtual reality focuses on finding out how psychotherapies have benefits in learning and education. Upon review, it becomes evident that research in the virtual world along with learning disabilities has not yet been examined from a cohesive perspective, illustrating a lack of alliance that determines a more global understanding of the technological advantages of disabilities. Thus, this chapter aims to provide educators with an overview of explanations of the virtual world and to ensure appropriate development of VR/AR applications and special assistance for learning disabilities.
TopIntroduction
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” - Christopher Reeve
Figure 1. Experiencing virtual world through virtual reality headset (Ashworth, 2020)
The term “virtual world” needs a simple, meaningful understanding of what it means and what it means to have a virtual world. Mostly, it needs to underrate the relevance of the virtual world in the disabled sector, which can be used to help the individual live. There are a lot of schools of thought on virtual worlds, but unfortunately, they have not yet brought the concept to clarity to clarify the benefits for the disabled. If technology can do everything, which is unbelievable, then it is also essential to see in the other possible directions. Through this, disabled people will benefit, along with special educators and scientists. So far, the conceptual meaning or definition of a virtual world has not been well-defined. The ability to predict a technical definition has its own benefits and gives users a wide range of experience. However, because a virtual world is defined by a mix of different technologies, it makes it hard to tell which technologies have similar features. For example, a smartphone has multiple advantages with different technologies. In this section, we examined technology and its advancement in the field of learning disabilities (LD). According to one of the eminent researchers on learning disabilities, “Learning disabilities are not a prescription for failure. With the right kinds of instruction, guidance and support, there are no limits to what individuals with LD can achieve” said by Sheldon H.Horowiz, 2014 (p3) (Cortiella & Horowiz, 2014).
According to the National Center for Education Statistics report (2020), from 2018 to 2019, no less than 33% of students have specific learning disabilities. Learning disabled students are likely to drop out of school three times more often than other dropout students. In line with Butterworth & Kovas (2013) said that students with high IQ may fail to understand the standard mathematical curriculum. Similarly, another report reported that with the help of smartphones, children can learn and interact with their environment easily using augmented and virtual reality (Panwala et al., 2017). And also, it has been proven that the more student interaction is involved in learning technology, the more they can enhance their learning ability (Blaster et al., 2016). Image processing technique has been proved a method for the interactive learning through different applications in higher education (Yaman & Karakose, 2016).
TopVirtual World In Education
Advantages of virtual world is an umbrella term, from them the virtual reality, sometimes known as VR, is becoming increasingly popular in the educational sector, with more and more schools embracing the technology. VR gives pupils the opportunity to go to different parts of the world without ever having to physically leave the classroom. Envisage a classroom in which the students are free to investigate any topic while remaining seated (Figure 1) and virtual reality enables this kind of learning in education. VR is something that most people have heard of, but several people do not understand what VR is or how it may be used to enhance learning and education. The term “virtual reality” refers to interactive media like photos or movies that let the viewer move around in a setting in all 360 degrees (Immersion VR, 2022).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Gamification: A simple technique to insert game plays elements in a non-gaming setting.
Learning Disabilities (LD): A kind of disorder that roots from brain causes difficulties in reading, writing, and processing information.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A developmental disorder affects how to interact, communicate, and behave with others.
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD): A neurological disorder affects to sustain attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behaviour.
Visual Motor Deficiency: Inability to observe and use visual information in the form of shapes, figures, and size.
Virtual Reality: An environment is created through computer to feel the objects are surrounded and appear to be real.
Three-Dimensional Effects: It is an effect that produces in depth perception of an image. For example, cubes, pyramids, cones, and cylinders.
Augmented Reality (AR): Experiences of real-world objects which integrated in real time use of information in the form of audio, graphic, and text.
Immersive Experience: An experience which simulates the realistic feeling of being present in the visual space. An example such as exploring the surface of platens in the classroom with mixed virtual reality.
Multimedia Interfaces: A digital interface that has capacity of transmitting uncompressed audios and videos data in devices.