The impact of virtual reality meditation on college students’ exam performance
Regina Kaplan-Rakowski, Karen R. Johnson, Tomasz Wojdynski
Smart Learning Environments October 16, 2021 DOI: 10.1186/s40561-021-00166-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Empirical, quantitative, between-subject study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Students |
| Interventions | Virtual reality meditation Video meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key points | Virtual reality meditation was significantly more beneficial than video meditation for improving test scores. |
Abstract
Advocates of meditation claim that it can improve various aspects of life, including health, attention, thinking, and learning. The purpose of this empirical, quantitative, between-subject study was twofold. First, it compared the effectiveness of meditation delivered through virtual reality versus video, as measured by students’ test scores. Second, the study provided insights on the use of meditation, whether via virtual reality or video, as a way to positively affect well-being. T-test analysis showed virtual reality meditation to be significantly more beneficial than video meditation. Students reported that meditation techniques delivered using either medium to be helpful in decreasing their pre-exam anxiety. This study has practical implications and offers evidence on the beneficial impact of VR meditation on students’ exam performance and anxiety levels.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
- Virtual Reality as an Interactive Tool for the Implementation of Mindfulness in University Settings: A Systematic Review Multimodal Technologies and Interaction October 11, 2024
- Enhancing Mindfulness Effects on Well-Being Using Immersive Virtual Reality in Non-Clinical Populations: Where Are We Going? Mindfulness November 10, 2025
- The potential of virtual reality for enhancing the efficacy and acceptability of mindfulness training in non-clinical adults: a pilot randomised controlled trial Virtual Reality September 5, 2025
- Meditation in an academic medical institution to improve student mental health: a pilot study Frontiers in Digital Health October 12, 2026
- Effectiveness of a virtual reality-based mindfulness intervention for ADHD symptoms in college students: A randomized controlled trial. Digital health 2026
and 7 more in the library
Cites 13
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention Mental Health, Religion & Culture May 1, 1999
- Contemplative Education: A Systematic, Evidence-Based Review of the effect of Meditation Interventions in Schools Educational Psychology Review March 1, 2015
- School-based Meditation Practices for Adolescents: A Resource for Strengthening Self-Regulation, Emotional Coping, and Self-Esteem Children & Schools July 1, 2010
and 8 more in the library