Immersive Pedagogy as Historiography: Reframing How Students ‘Know’ the Past through XR

Abstract

This paper explores the transformative potential of Extended Reality (XR) technologies in history education, arguing that XR represents an epistemological shift that alters how historical knowledge is constructed and experienced. By immersing students in virtual or augmented historical environments, XR moves beyond traditional textbook narratives, offering new ways to engage with history through embodiment, perspective-taking, and emotional resonance. The paper frames XR not merely as a pedagogical tool, but as a new mode of historiographical practice, prompting critical reflection on the boundaries between fact and fiction, authenticity and simulation, in historical representation. Drawing on theories of constructivist learning and embodied cognition, the paper highlights how XR reshapes students’ understanding of history, offering a dynamic, participatory, and contested view of the past. However, it also acknowledges the challenges of XR’s immersive nature, including the risk of naïve realism and the potential for epistemic confusion. The paper concludes by suggesting design principles for critical XR-based history education that encourage both engagement and critical reflection.