Current Trends Virtual Reality to Enhance Skill Acquisition in Physical Education in Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: A Systematic Review

2.1 Procedure

The research method is a systematic review that aims to analyze, explore, and interpret all research results related to the research questions. This study began by formulating three research questions (Table 1). The process involved searching for relevant articles, identifying and screening them, selecting potential articles using the PRISMA diagram, analyzing and synthesizing the findings qualitatively, and finally writing a research report. Searching for relevant articles in three databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We selected articles from 2017 to 2024 to gather the most recent findings. We conducted literature searches using the keywords virtual reality, VR in education, PE, skill acquisition, and twenty-first century. We select articles that use English.

2.2 Analysis

Articles were harvested from 3 databases: Scopus (128 articles), Web of Science (202 articles), and Google Scholar (120 articles) (Figure 1).

Figure 1

The number of papers based on the database.

Potential articles were obtained through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowchart (Figure 2) developed by Haddaway et al., 2022). Figure 2 illustrates that possible articles were acquired through identification, screening, and inclusion. During the identification phase, 37 articles were identified as duplicates, 49 were deemed ineligible, and 59 were excluded for various reasons, resulting in 305 articles proceeding to the screening phase. In the screening phase, we eliminated 92 papers, did not obtain 87 articles, and omitted 102 reports for various reasons. In the final inclusion phase, following the incorporation of additional research reports, a total of 24 prospective articles were chosen for inclusion in the literature review.

Figure 2

PRISMA flow diagram.

Article selection was based on title, abstract, and full text according to inclusion and exclusion criteria (Table 2).

2.3 Data Synthesis

Data synthesis was conducted on the three RQs that were designed:

1. What is the role of VR in education?

2. What is the role of VR in enhancing skill acquisition in PE?

3. What is the role of VR in enhancing skill acquisition in PE in higher education in the twenty-first century?

We did not perform a quantitative meta-analysis due to the limited number of studies and the use of diverse study designs. We selected a narrative synthesis method to systematically integrate all findings from the included studies. We recognized the articles based on the initial author, country of origin, results, and conclusions. We subsequently categorized the 24 publications into three parts based on the research questions. Ten articles looked at how current trends in VR are affecting education, nine articles looked at how current trends in VR are affecting the learning of skills in PE, and five articles looked at how current trends in VR are affecting the learning of skills in PE in higher education in the twenty-first century (Figure 3). We conducted a peer review to evaluate the objective quality of the 24 prospective papers.

Figure 3

Number of papers based on RQ.

3.1 RQ1: What is the Role of Current Trends in VR in Education?

With its immersive and engaging learning experiences that traditional techniques cannot match, VR is becoming more and more recognized as a transformative tool in education. VR improves student engagement, comprehension, and recall of complex topics (Table 3).

In Table 3, there are five articles published in 2024, three articles published in 2023, and two articles published in 2022 that examine the role of current trends in VR in education (Table 3). This shows that the use of VR in education continues to increase. In the future, VR has the potential to significantly impact the delivery of education. According to Analyti et al. (2024) and Indriati (2023), VR offers immersive environments that enable students to interact intimately with instructional content, improving their retention and comprehension of complicated subjects. It makes realistic, risk-free simulations possible, which is especially helpful in domains like engineering and medical education, where students can hone their skills in a secure setting (He & Tan, 2025). It has been demonstrated that VR can produce dynamic and captivating educational experiences that boost student knowledge and motivation (Arora, 2024). The integration of VR is increasing its educational impact, paving the way for customized learning experiences (Balushi et al., 2024; Mahmoudi-Dehaki & Nasr-Esfahani, 2024). The connectivity of VR educational frameworks with LMS facilitates transdisciplinary applications (Balushi et al., 2024). VR’s general adoption in educational contexts is severely hampered by the high cost of its hardware and software as well as technological constraints (Analyti et al., 2024; Mahmoudi-Dehaki & Nasr-Esfahani, 2024). VR technology’s significance in education is anticipated to grow as it becomes more widely available and reasonably priced, providing opportunities for educational innovation and new teaching paradigms (Ramos & Júnior, 2024). More research and cooperation are necessary to fully realize VR’s potential and address accessibility and data security issues (Arora, 2024; Mahmoudi-Dehaki & Nasr-Esfahani, 2024). VR has the potential to completely transform education, despite some of its drawbacks. VR’s immersive and interactive qualities have the potential to greatly improve educational experiences, increasing their effectiveness and engagement. VR is expected to become a crucial component of educational practices as research and technology advance, providing new opportunities for teaching and learning in a variety of sectors. To properly incorporate VR into the curriculum and optimize its educational effects, teachers must receive thorough training (Analyti et al., 2024).

Successful incorporation of VR in education necessitates extensive teacher training to cultivate technical expertise and instructional methodologies. Educators require practical training sessions and continuous professional development opportunities to learn VR tools (Ruiz-Ortega, Ricoy-Cano, García-Domingo, & Fuente-Robles, 2024). Curriculum modification is essential to synchronize VR applications with educational objectives. This entails creating immersive educational experiences that augment the current curriculum and improve student engagement and learning results. The authors provide strategic recommendations for effective VR integration in teacher education programs, which include demonstrating a variety of VR applications and highlighting methods to enhance student engagement. Notwithstanding the limitations, VR has considerable advantages, including heightened student engagement, improved experiential learning, and opportunities for practical, risk-free simulations (Analyti et al., 2024). The immersive capabilities of VR can replicate real-world scenarios, offering students practical experiences in disciplines such as science, history, and vocational training (Analyti et al., 2024; Mahmoudi-Dehaki & Nasr-Esfahani, 2024). The prospect of integrating VR with artificial intelligence (AI) to develop personalized learning experiences represents a promising advancement that could significantly improve educational outcomes (Analyti et al., 2024).

VR technology advances will significantly influence future teaching methods by providing immersive, interactive, and customized learning experiences (Refmidawati, 2023). VR can mimic real-life situations and complex ideas, making education more engaging and helping students understand different topics better. The next part discusses important ways that improvements in VR could influence future teaching methods. VR helps students learn difficult topics, like chemical reactions, in a safe and engaging way, which enhances their learning and memory (Duca, Constantinescu, & Iftene, 2024). In computer science education, VR helps students learn by offering realistic experiences that improve hands-on skills and critical thinking (Balushi et al., 2024). Many areas, such as science, history, and language learning, can utilize VR, offering practical experiences that traditional methods cannot match. VR technology greatly increases student interest by providing dynamic and engaging learning experiences (Thakur, Bhatia, & Kaur, 2024). Combining AI with VR can create customized learning experiences that fit each student’s goals and speed of learning. Using VR for personalized learning paths can help students do better and gain more independence because these tools adjust to different learning styles. Even though VR has a lot of possibilities, it has some problems like high prices, technology issues, and the need for thorough training for teachers (Mahmoudi-Dehaki & Nasr-Esfahani, 2024). To tackle these challenges, educators, researchers, and business partners need to work together to provide fair access and ensure that things are put into practice effectively. While VR technology offers promising advances for educational strategies, it is essential to consider the broader context of its implementation. The high prices and technical challenges of VR might make it difficult to use, especially in schools with fewer resources (Samala et al., 2024). As VR technology improves and gets cheaper, it will likely play a bigger role in education, providing more interesting, interactive, and tailored learning experiences.

3.2 RQ2: What is the Role of Current Trends in VR to Enhance Skill Acquisition in PE?

PE is increasingly recognizing VR as a powerful tool. It provides engaging and collaborative experiences that help students improve their skills (Table 4).

A study of 9 articles looked at how current trends in VR can help students learn new skills in PE (Table 4). The results showed that using VR in PE does help students learn new skills. Enhance skill acquisition in PE students’ learning. This improves their performance, helps them remember what they learned, and encourages them to stick to exercise routines. This new method increases involvement and drive while offering a safe and easy-to-use training space, which is especially helpful for beginners and people with physical challenges. VR creates realistic settings that mimic real-life situations, allowing students to practice and improve their skills safely. This hands-on learning method increases interest and drive, which helps people learn skills better. In sports such as golf, football, and archery, VR has been proven to increase students’ involvement, skill development, and mental strength by providing accurate training experiences (Jiang et al., 2024). VR technology has been shown to make teaching sports more effective, with efficiency improvements between 19.36 and 21.04% in sports such as basketball and soccer (Shi, 2024). Research has proven that combining VR with reinforcement learning techniques significantly enhances learners’ skills and teaching methods. This approach provides flexible and scalable solutions for different learning requirements (Sun et al., 2024). Using VR along with game-like methods makes activities feel easier and helps improve physical skills. Better results in tests like plate-tapping and lateral jumping demonstrate this (Fernández-Vázquez et al., 2024). The exciting features of VR, like racing and rewards, help improve skills and keep students interested (Fernández-Vázquez et al., 2024). VR offers a safe and easy way to practice skills, which is especially helpful for students with physical challenges or those who are just starting a sport (Jiang et al., 2024). The technology lets people practice complicated physical tasks safely, reducing the risks involved and making learning easier (Xu, Hong, & Yang, 2022). VR has many benefits for learning skills in PE, but difficulties like high equipment costs, technical issues, and discomfort for users make it challenging for everyone to use it wisely. There are also concerns about students feeling alone and the need for proper care when using VR. As technology improves and costs go down, VR has the potential to change PE. It can offer engaging and interactive learning experiences that support overall growth (Kuleva, 2024).

To the best of our knowledge immersive learning with VR helps students learn skills in PE by offering realistic, dynamic, and enjoyable training experiences. VR technology helps students learn and improve their skills in a safe setting. This is especially useful for beginners or people with physical challenges (Singh & Awasthi, 2024). VR allows students to learn by experiencing things directly, helping them understand the subject better. They can practice many times and get quick feedback to improve their skills. This method helps improve skills and increases motivation and interest among trainees. Improved participation and motivation VR settings offer engaging experiences that grab students’ attention, boosting their participation and interest in PE activities. VR engages students in their learning, helping them remember skills and information better (Deng, Wang, Dong, Lei, & Dong, 2023; Kuleva, 2024). VR provides a secure platform for students to hone their skills without the risk of injury. This makes it perfect for high-risk sports or for students who have physical challenges. This helps students practice skills in a realistic setting, making it easier for them to use them in real life. VR systems provide quick feedback on how students are doing, allowing them to quickly spot and fix their mistakes. Using motion capture and other technologies in VR can give accurate information about how students move, allowing for thorough examination and improvement of their motor skills. Different uses in sports VR have been successfully applied in various sports, such as golf, football, and archery, demonstrating its versatility and effectiveness in enhancing skill acquisition across different physical activities (Jiang et al., 2024). VR has many advantages for learning skills in PE, but there are still some challenges. These include the high cost of tools, technical issues, and possible discomfort for users, which makes it challenging for everyone to use it widely. We need enough supervision to avoid isolation and make sure learning is effective in VR settings (Kuleva, 2024). We expect the use of VR in PE to grow as technology improves and becomes more affordable, offering more opportunities for engaging and effective learning.

3.3 RQ3: What Is the Role of Current Trends in VR to Enhance Skill Acquisition in PE in Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century?

VR simulation has become a revolutionary tool in higher education, particularly for enhancing skills development and skill acquisition in PE in higher education in the twenty-first century (Table 5).

Based on the results of the literature review of the five articles in Table 4, it is known that VR enhances skill acquisition in PE in higher education in the twenty-first century. VR technology enhances PE and facilitates automation and programming in the PE subject in the twenty-first century (Ren, 2021). VR technology enhances sports performance and accurately records training data. VR technology enhances the advancement of athletic training in higher education in the twenty-first century (Yin, 2022). The VR is immersive and interactive, and students can experience realistic situations that they would not be able to experience with traditional methods. This creates a safe and controlled environment for learning and practice. VR produces realistic environments that replicate real-world situations, allowing students to hone their skills in a risk-free context. This is particularly beneficial in disciplines such as medicine, engineering, and PE where hands-on experience is essential (He & Tan, 2025; Nassar, Al-Manaseer, Knowlton, & Tuma, 2021). VR simulation enhances the acquisition of technical and non-technical skills, including teamwork and problem solving, by offering realistic and collaborative learning experiences (Nassar et al., 2021; Villegas-Ch, Govea, Naranjo Godoy, & Mera-Navarrete, 2024). In PE, VR has been shown to improve performance and knowledge retention, providing students with realistic scenarios for experiential learning. (Kuleva, 2024). Despite its advantages, the application of VR in education faces obstacles such as high costs, technological constraints, and possible user discomfort, which may hinder its widespread adoption (Cabrera-Duffaut et al., 2024; Kuleva, 2024). Although VR simulations provide significant benefits in skill development for students, especially in PE, issues related to cost and accessibility must be addressed to fully realize their potential. Continued advancement in VR technology and pedagogical methods is essential to overcome these obstacles and fully utilize the advantages of VR in higher education.

To the best of our knowledge, PE curricula are gradually incorporating VR technology to enhance learning outcomes through immersive and interactive experiences. New ways of teaching use VR to make this integration stronger by simulating real-life situations, improving teaching methods, and getting more students involved. These strategies are revolutionizing conventional PE instruction by providing novel opportunities for skill development, incentive, and safety. VR technology generates authentic sports training environments, enabling students to practice and enhance their talents in a safe and regulated context. This is especially advantageous for endeavors such as track and field, where VR may replicate real-life situations without the inherent hazards (Yang, 2018). In sports such as golf, football, and archery, VR offers immersive simulations that improve students’ skill development, strategic comprehension, and psychological training (Jiang et al., 2024). Combining VR with reinforcement learning algorithms makes it easier for training methods to get better on their own. This approach has demonstrated considerable benefits in enhancing learners’ competencies and instructional efficacy relative to conventional methods (Sun et al., 2024). We employ VR game-based learning settings to enhance motivation and physical activity levels. Such spaces enhance learning experiences by fostering engagement and interactivity, resulting in heightened student participation and enthusiasm (Omarov, Omarov, Azhibekova, & Omarov, 2024). Utilizing wearable devices in conjunction with VR applications offers immediate feedback on physical activity and performance. This integration facilitates the development of dynamic and interactive learning environments that address the diverse needs of students (Singh & Awasthi, 2024). The integration of VR technology with human posture detection enhances the quality of online PE through precise motion capture and increased instructor satisfaction. Enhanced virtual human animation technology elevates the depiction of athletic movements, rendering online sports instruction more engaging and efficient (Wang, 2021). Despite the advantages of VR technology in PE, obstacles include substantial equipment costs, technical constraints, and possible persistent user discomfort. Moreover, sufficient oversight is necessary to avert student isolation in VR settings. Notwithstanding these obstacles, the ongoing advancement and cost mitigation of VR technology present potential for its wider implementation in PE instruction (Kuleva, 2024).

Higher education is increasingly using VR in PE, offering immersive and interactive learning experiences that enhance skill development. However, certain barriers hinder its full potential. These barriers include high cost, technical difficulties, and concerns about user comfort and isolation. Addressing these barriers is critical to the successful integration of VR with PE. (1) High cost and technical difficulties: The cost of VR equipment and the requirement for specific educational software pose significant barriers to widespread adoption in educational institutions (Cabrera-Duffaut et al., 2024; Samala et al., 2024). (2) Technical barriers, including hardware compatibility and the need for robust infrastructure, present barriers to smooth integration (Jiang et al., 2024; Kuleva, 2024). Funding issues and the lack of standard evaluation criteria for VR training make it even harder to use (Mergen et al., 2024). (3) Concerns about user comfort and isolation: User discomfort, such as motion sickness and fatigue, may limit the duration and efficacy of VR sessions (Kuleva, 2024; Mergen et al., 2024). Kuleva (2024) has raised concerns about the potential for student isolation in VR environments, which could impact social interactions and collaborative learning. It’s important for teachers and students to know how to use technology and be digitally literate in order for VR to be used effectively in PE Samala et al. (2024) although this may not always be possible. Proper supervision and direction are essential for students to successfully navigate and benefit from VR settings (Kuleva, 2024). (5) Infrastructure limitations, such as inadequate internet speeds and outdated facilities, may hinder the adoption of VR technology (Samala et al., 2024). We must address regulatory challenges, such as privacy and data security issues, to safeguard consumers and institutions (Samala et al., 2024). While VR offers significant potential to enhance skill acquisition in PE, these limitations underscore the need for strategic planning and investment. Collaborative initiatives between educators, researchers, and industry partners are essential to overcome these barriers and fully harness the potential of VR in education. Furthermore, investigating alternative immersive technologies, such as VR, may provide additional solutions to specific issues faced by VR (Garg et al., 2023).

Institutions have substantial technological obstacles when incorporating VR into educational environments; yet, ways exist to surmount these problems. VR provides immersive educational experiences that can improve communication abilities, cultural comprehension, and the development of practical skills. Nevertheless, the elevated expenses, technological intrigue, and absence of accessible standards provide obstacles. Institutions can mitigate these obstacles via strategic planning, infrastructure enhancement, and stakeholder participation. The subsequent sections delineate essential solutions for surmounting the technological obstacles of VR in educational institutions – (1) Infrastructure and resources: Advancement Institutions must invest in resilient infrastructure to facilitate VR technologies, encompassing high-speed internet and appropriate hardware. Insufficient resources, such as inadequate internet infrastructure, can impede VR implementation (Hung et al., 2023). Institutional backing for infrastructure and personnel is essential. Institutions must designate funding for VR equipment and training programs to guarantee staff preparedness and capability for implementation (Hung et al., 2023). (2) Cooperation and stakeholder involvement: Involving stakeholders, such as personnel, students, and external collaborators, can promote the adoption of VR. According to Hung et al. (2023), collaborative action research methods, which include steps like Reflect and Plan, Act and Adapt, and Evaluate, could help organizations make VR programs fit the needs of their local communities. Institutions must engage staff advocates and utilize the perceived advantages of VR to promote its adoption. Staff champions can promote the utilization of VR and assist in alleviating reluctance among other staff members (Hung et al., 2023). (3) Accessibility and inclusivity: Formulating accessibility rules for VR hardware and software is crucial to broadening the availability of VR technology to a diverse audience. This encompasses the resolution of technological, infrastructural, pedagogical, and cultural impediments (Muczyński et al., 2023). Institutions must prioritize the development of inclusive VR settings that address various student requirements, guaranteeing equitable opportunities for all stakeholders (Bosman et al., 2024). (4) Training and support. Ensuring sufficient training and support for educators is essential. Institutions must provide instructional technology and training programs to assist educators in effectively incorporating VR into their pedagogical activities. Institutions might gain advantages from seminars and collaborative initiatives to develop effective guidelines for the application of VR in education, thereby improving the entire learning experience (Muczyński et al., 2023). (5) Research and development. Institutions ought to allocate resources towards research aimed at examining successful integration strategies and evaluating the influence of VR on educational outcomes. This entails examining the viability of VR adoption and recognizing sustainable methods for extensive implementation. Investigating opportunities in immersive education can assist institutions in devising novel strategies to surmount technological obstacles and augment the educational potential of VR (Bosman et al., 2024). Although surmounting technological obstacles to VR integration in education is difficult, institutions can utilize strategic planning, collaboration, and research to tackle these challenges. By investing in infrastructure, involving stakeholders, and prioritizing accessibility and training, institutions can realize the full potential of VR technology. It is essential to recognize the dynamic nature of technology and the changing requirements of educational environments. Institutions must remain flexible and receptive to advances in VR technology to guarantee effective integration and optimize its advantages for both students and educators.