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Understanding AR/VR Adoption through heutagogy and cybergogy: Insights from the UTAUT2 model in vocational education

March 2025
Education and Information Technologies

Authors:

State University of Makassar

Integrating advanced technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in educational settings can significantly enhance learning, especially in vocational education, where practical application is crucial. However, understanding the factors influencing student acceptance of these technologies remains challenging. This study examines how Heutagogical and Cybergogical Behaviors affect vocational high school students' intentions to use AR and VR in classrooms, with Virtual Experience as a mediator. By extending the UTAUT2 model, the research offers insights into technology adoption in vocational education. Conducted in July 2024 with 438 students from six Indonesian regencies, the study used a quantitative, non-experimental design. PLS-SEM analysis revealed that Heutagogical and Cybergogical activities significantly influenced students' performance and effort expectancy, increasing their intention to use AR and VR. Virtual Experience fully mediated the effects of performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, social influence, and price value on students' intentions. However, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions directly impacted behavioral intentions, underscoring the importance of ease of use and support in adopting these technologies. The findings suggest that integrating structured and self-directed learning approaches, providing immersive hands-on opportunities with AR/VR tools, and ensuring ease of use and strong institutional support can enhance technology adoption. These strategies align vocational training with industry demands, preparing students for technologically driven workplaces.

Framework of the study

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a Left panel: participants accessed augmented reality contents; b right panel: participants used google to access the virtual reality content. Source: own elaboration

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Bootstrap results on the research framework

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Vol.:(0123456789)

Education and Information Technologies

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-025-13465-0

Understanding AR/VR Adoption throughheutagogy

andcybergogy: Insights fromtheUTAUT2 model

invocational education

NurlaelaNurlaela1 · AndiMuhammadIrfan1· MuhammadHaristoRahman2·

KurniaPrimaPutra3· AmiruddinMahmud1· WirawanSetialaksana3

Received: 22 September 2024 / Accepted: 17 February 2025

2025

Abstract

Integrating advanced technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality

(AR) in educational settings can signiﬁcantly enhance learning, especially in voca-

tional education, where practical application is crucial. However, understanding the

factors inﬂuencing student acceptance of these technologies remains challenging.

This study examines how Heutagogical and Cybergogical Behaviors aﬀect voca-

tional high school students’ intentions to use AR and VR in classrooms, with Vir-

tual Experience as a mediator. By extending the UTAUT2 model, the research oﬀers

insights into technology adoption in vocational education. Conducted in July 2024

with 438 students from six Indonesian regencies, the study used a quantitative, non-

experimental design. PLS-SEM analysis revealed that Heutagogical and Cybergogi-

cal activities signiﬁcantly inﬂuenced students’ performance and eﬀort expectancy,

increasing their intention to use AR and VR. Virtual Experience fully mediated the

eﬀects of performance expectancy, hedonic motivation, social inﬂuence, and price

value on students’ intentions. However, eﬀort expectancy and facilitating conditions

directly impacted behavioral intentions, underscoring the importance of ease of

use and support in adopting these technologies. The ﬁndings suggest that integrat-

ing structured and self-directed learning approaches, providing immersive hands-on

opportunities with AR/VR tools, and ensuring ease of use and strong institutional

support can enhance technology adoption. These strategies align vocational training

with industry demands, preparing students for technologically driven workplaces.

Keywords UTAUT2· Augmented reality· Virtual reality· Structural equation

model· Vocational high school

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