Abstract

Quantum Mechanics (QM) is considered to be one of the most demanding subjects in the undergraduate physics curriculum due to the abstract mathematical formalism on which it relies and its departure from the intuition that students develop from everyday experiences. In response to these challenges, Virtual Reality (VR) has, on numerous occasions, been suggested as the medium to support STEM education. Nevertheless, the question of what students actually expect from VR-based QM learning environments has received
limited empirical attention with most of the available evidence drawn from single-country studies. The present work draws qualitative data from university students (N=247) across five European countries (Cyprus, Greece, France, Finland, and Croatia). Specifically, three open-ended questions were analysed using the Reflexive Thematic Analysis approach in its deductive application, operationalised through keyword-based pattern matching against thirteen pre-defined categories. The key findings suggest that students ask for real-world contextualisation, concrete examples drawn from everyday life, as well as opportunities to visualise and interact with quantum phenomena in immersive settings. Furthermore, certain cross-national and gender-based differences were identified which indicate the need for culturally responsive instructional design. Based on the findings, a concrete set of design priorities for the next generation of immersive QM learning tools is provided.