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The influence of Survivor stories and a virtual reality representation of a residential school on reconciliation in Canada

Authors :
Katherine B. Starzyk
Iloradanon H. Efimoff
Katelin Helene Siemens Neufeld
Andrew Woolford
Aleah S. M. Fontaine
James E. Young
Andrea Bunt
Jessica Trickey
Struan Sinclair
Adam Muller
Source :
Frontiers in Social Psychology, Vol 2 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2024.

Abstract

Indigenous Peoples in Canada have endured many genocidal efforts, such as residential schools. Across the country, initiatives to promote critical historical education about residential schools are underway, ranging in duration, content, and immersion. In this study, we tested whether a promising high-immersion approach, a virtual reality residential school, could improve non-Indigenous participants' attitudes and feelings toward Indigenous people. We compared the effects of the virtual residential school to a transcript condition, in which participants read the transcripts of the narration that accompanied the virtual residential school, and an empty control condition. The study had three time points: Baseline (N = 241), intervention (N = 241), and follow-up (N = 132). Immediately following the intervention, what participants learned about the residential school, both through virtual reality and reading the transcripts, increased non-Indigenous participants' empathy, political solidarity, and outgroup warmth for Indigenous people, relative to the control. The virtual reality school, but not transcripts, also increased privity relative to the control. These effects decreased over time. In summary, though both written and virtual reality forms of critical historical education were effective in the short term, to maintain the long-term effects of critical historical education, ongoing or recurring education is likely necessary. These results extend the virtual reality literature to unstudied concepts (political solidarity, privity) and critical historical education literature to a new form of media (virtual reality). We discuss the findings in relation to literature on critical historical education and virtual reality as well as outline future directions.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
28137876
Volume :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Social Psychology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.7c6f8471ab754dae8c842de98cf52a19
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/frsps.2024.1346101