Beyond Bunsen Burners: Teaching on the Edge with an Immersive Teacher Education Pilot Enhancing Recall, Retention and Scientific Understanding

Research on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) demonstrates that immersive digital environments can offer learning experiences that extend far beyond what traditional teaching methods can provide (Phakamach et al., 2022). As teacher education institutions respond to increasingly diverse trainee cohorts and rapid technological change, immersive extended reality (XR) tools offer new opportunities to strengthen practical science pedagogy and expand access to high-quality learning experiences. Research on AR/VR in education suggests that immersive environments can enhance engagement, motivation, and conceptual understanding when carefully designed and scaffolded. This study reports early findings from a pilot integrating the (Zolezzi et al., 2024). EON-XR platform and Meta VR headsets into a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Science programme, where a high proportion of trainees are international students entering UK laboratory practice for the first time.
Supported by a digital innovation grant, the pilot enabled trainees to revisit GCSE Chemistry required practicals through immersive ‘experiences’, extending learning beyond what is possible in the physical laboratory. Trainees revisited the chemistry practical through immersive XR, enabling them to recall laboratory procedures and deepen their conceptual understanding while visualising abstract scientific processes in ways that supported diverse prior knowledge and language backgrounds. This aligns with evidence that XR environments can strengthen STEM laboratory learning by bridging theory–practice gaps and reinforcing both procedural fluency and conceptual understanding (Dunleavy and Dede, 2014)
Phase 1 findings reveal varied trainee responses to XR adoption. Some participants expressed initial apprehension, including discomfort with unfamiliar technologies or concerns about sensory overload. In contrast, others reported high levels of enthusiasm and described XR as increasing engagement, procedural fluency and conceptual clarity. These divergent reactions highlight the need for structured induction, inclusive activity design and critical digital pedagogy that interrogates who benefits from technology and under what conditions (Selwyn, 2016). The next phase of the project will involve trainees creating their own EON-XR experiences to support science learning, with school-based mentors responding positively to these developments and expressing strong interest in co-developing XR-supported lessons for partner schools, thereby strengthening collaborative digital practice across the training partnership.