Scaling Authenticity: Low-Threshold Social VR for Teacher Training and Didactical Practice

Abstract

Teacher education requires accessible training environments that bridge theory and practice without costly infrastructure or burdening schools. This exploratory proof-of-concept study examines whether low-threshold Social Virtual Reality (VR) can enable authentic classroom management practice for teachers. In-service teachers and Master’s students (n = 5) managed disruptions from virtual pupils in a browser-based simulation built with open-source tools. Mixedmethods analysis combined quantitative measures of authenticity, user experience, and behavioral presence with qualitative interviews. Participant responses indicated that perceived authenticity was driven primarily by coherent role enactment and plausible interactions rather than visual realism, which is consistent with multidimensional authenticity frameworks. Quantitative ratings suggested moderate authenticity alongside low pragmatic quality (usability and dependability). Despite these constraints, participants highlighted the platform’s capacity to foster behavioral presence and to rehearse fundamental classroom management principles such as withitness. The simulation was viewed as most useful for early-stage training when embedded in seminars with theoretical grounding and guided reflection. Given the small, convenience sample, these results should be interpreted as feasibility signals and hypothesis-generating rather than definitive. The findings nevertheless suggest that low-threshold Social VR is worth evaluating as an accessible and potentially scalable practice format for undergraduate teacher education, provided technical stability improves. The study also questions assumptions that authentic teacher training necessarily requires high-fidelity technology, while acknowledging substantial limitations in sample size and diversity.