Uncovering the drivers of intent to use the metaverse: diverse experiences in sustainability education

This study investigates how technological and pedagogical factors influence students’ intention to engage with virtual worlds on educational metaverse platforms and examines the resulting learning outcomes in sustainability education. Traditional sustainability education often fails to effectively engage students with real-world challenges. Metaverse platforms provide immersive, interactive environments that bridge theoretical knowledge with practical application but face usability, complexity, and user comfort issues that can hinder engagement and learning. Using a mixed-methods approach, 54 undergraduate students from Hong Kong and the Philippines participated in sustainability modules via the Classlet metaverse platform. Regression analysis revealed that Ease of Use, Enjoyment, Perceived Performance, and Immersion accounted for 77.1% of the variance in intent to engage. Ease of Use and Enjoyment were the strongest positive predictors, while higher Immersion negatively impacted VR users, indicating that excessive complexity reduces usability. Additionally, gaming experience influenced enjoyment, with weekly gamers reporting higher engagement. Desktop users showed the highest intent to use the platform, whereas VR users experienced greater immersion but also more discomfort. Qualitative feedback highlighted the platform’s engaging and innovative features alongside technical and navigational challenges affecting learning outcomes. These findings highlight the need to balance interactivity, usability, and adaptability in educational technologies. Recommendations include implementing adaptive learning pathways, enhancing onboarding processes, and offering customizable interaction levels to accommodate diverse learner needs. Refining immersive learning approaches can better connect theoretical concepts with real-world sustainability applications, fostering increased student engagement and improved learning outcomes.