ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
This article is part of the Research TopicProtective vs Risk Factors for Stress and Psychological Well-being in Academic University ContextsView all 26 articles
Analysis of the Use of Virtual Reality Scenarios in Education for the Treatment of Socio-Emotional Problems
Provisionally accepted
René Rodríguez Zamora*
Leonor Antonia Espinoza Núñez- Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa Facultad de Psicología Mazatlán, Mazatlán, Mexico
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Abstract This exploratory quantitative study analyzes the use of virtual reality as a pedagogical strategy for enhancing socio-emotional skills. Two structured self-report surveys were administered to a purposive sample of 14 first-year engineering students at a higher education institution. The variables assessed included perceptual issues, experiences with psychological care, manifestations of emotional distress, family environment, specific emotional-management situations, and academic motivation. Based on students' responses, suitable virtual reality scenarios were mapped to support the design of individualized educational interventions. The study identified which VR scenarios students perceived as more helpful for addressing emotional challenges such as anxiety, impulsivity, and communication difficulties. Overall, the findings highlight the need to strengthen socio-emotional skill development in higher education, given the wide range of factors that influence students' emotional well-being and life skills—competencies as essential as disciplinary knowledge throughout their academic trajectory.
Keywords: virtual reality, higher education, socio-emotional skills, emotional well-being, virtual environments
Received: 06 Aug 2025; Accepted: 30 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rodríguez Zamora and Espinoza Núñez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: René Rodríguez Zamora
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