{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T13:22:56Z","timestamp":1771852976909,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771804800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000172","name":"Division of Undergraduate Education","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000172","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Virtual Real."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>While virtual reality (VR) shows promise for enhancing STEM education, most research relies on short interventions with pre- and post-designs, limiting the understanding of how classroom integration of VR unfolds across extended instructional periods and excluding instructor behavior and perspectives from analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study examines instructor and student dynamics during semester-long VR integration in an undergraduate neuroanatomy lab instruction, applying the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to analyze instructor knowledge profiles and the Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) to examine student motivational responses.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A focused ethnographic case study was conducted at a public university in California during the Spring 2024 semester. Data included seven classroom observations across 16 weeks, a 60-min semi-structured instructor interview, and a 45-min student focus group (n = 6). Analysis employed theoretically grounded coding with TPACK and EVT constructs, triangulation across data sources, and inter-coder reliability procedures.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Three key findings emerged: (1) The instructor\u2019s TPACK profile revealed strong Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), i.e., understanding VR\u2019s potential for neuroanatomical visualization, but underdeveloped Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), which created implementation gaps; (2) Student experiences reflected EVT dynamics where low expectancy beliefs, unclear utility value perceptions, and elevated cost of VR overshadowed intrinsic value; (3) Misalignment between instructor TPACK assumptions and student EVT profiles generated friction and discrepancy that both parties recognized but could not fully resolve during the semester.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study demonstrates that effective VR integration requires alignment between the instructor\u2019s knowledge, especially technological pedagogical knowledge, and the student\u2019s motivational dynamics. A TPACK-EVT integration framework is proposed to connect instructor knowledge to student motivation, offering a theoretical contribution to VR education research and practical implications for faculty development.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/frvir.2026.1783834","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T12:31:39Z","timestamp":1771849899000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Understanding extended VR use in undergraduate STEM education: a focused ethnographic case study of neuroanatomy instruction"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Wei","family":"Wu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Construction Management and Architectural Studies","place":["Fresno, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaojun","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Curriculum and Instruction, St John\u2019s University","place":["Queens, NY, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Amanda","family":"Klassen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Brain Lab, Brigham Young University","place":["Provo, UT, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Theresa","family":"White","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology","place":["Fresno, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1111\/medu.14045","article-title":"Focused ethnography as an approach in medical education research","volume":"54","author":"Andreassen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Med. 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