Museum-Based Virtual Reality in Chinese Higher History Education: A Scoping Review of Research and Curriculum Design Innovations

Abstract

This scoping review examines how museum-based virtual reality (VR) is used in history education in Chinese higher education. As immersive technologies continue to grow in popularity worldwide, VR offers exciting new ways for students to engage with historical content through interactive and sensory-rich experiences. In China, efforts to reform education and digitize cultural resources have sped up the use of VR in classrooms, though research in this area is still scattered. Using the PRISMA-ScR framework and Arksey and O’Malley’s methodology, this review analyzes 20 studies published from 2020 to 2024, looking at how they were conducted, the research goals, and the results in various learning settings—formal, non-formal, and informal. The findings show that museum VR enhances academic performance, increases student engagement, fosters historical empathy, and promotes socio-emotional growth, but also points out challenges like usability issues, design flaws, and problems with implementation. This review provides valuable insights for educators, museum professionals, and curriculum developers who want to incorporate immersive heritage learning into higher education.