Abstract
Field excursions are fundamental to environmental science education, yet urban secondary schools frequently encounter severe financial, logistical, and spatial constraints that restrict access to natural habitats. This quasi-experimental study investigates the pedagogical efficacy of immersive virtual reality (VR) field trips compared to traditional physical excursions and conventional classroom instruction. Conducted across four urban secondary schools, the study evaluated 288 tenth-grade students divided into three groups: immersive VR wetland exploration (n = 96), an on-site physical wetland excursion (n = 94), and a conventional multimedia classroom control (n = 98). Environmental science literacy was assessed using a multidimensional framework capturing conceptual ecological knowledge, situational interest, and pro-environmental attitudes via pre-, post-, and four-week delayed retention tests. Results indicated that while the physical excursion cohort achieved the highest immediate ecological knowledge scores, the VR cohort demonstrated statistically comparable long-term knowledge retention and significantly higher situational engagement and self-efficacy. Furthermore, VR alleviated common physical excursion distractions, facilitating targeted observations of microscopic and temporal ecological processes. These findings suggest that immersive VR serves as a viable, scalable, and equitable alternative or supplement to traditional field trips, bridging experiential learning disparities in resource-constrained urban educational environments.
