Addressing the Transposition Challenge in Virtual Reality: Adaptive Scaffolding for Self-Regulation, Cognitive Load, and Emotions in Education

The integration of immersive virtual reality (IVR) in educational contexts marks a substantial shift in learning environments, offering high sensory fidelity and interactive potential. However, as students transition from traditional physical classrooms to virtual settings, they frequently encounter the “Transposition Challenge,” losing access to familiar self-regulatory supports such as notes, clocks, and peer cues. This regulatory void, or “regulatory nakedness,” can elevate extraneous cognitive load and disrupt emotional equilibrium, hindering both engagement and learning outcomes. Recent work—guided by models such as the Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning (CAMIL) and the Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media for VR (CATLM-VR)—underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of how immersion, embodiment, and interactivity modulate core learning variables including presence, interest, cognitive load, and motivation.Contemporary research reveals that while IVR environments can enhance situational interest and engagement, they also risk overloading students cognitively and emotionally due to absence of real-world organizational frameworks. Studies anchored in CATLM-VR demonstrate that effective IVR learning requires not only the management of technology-specific affordances but also intentional reduction of extraneous processing and stimulation of generative cognitive activity. Despite these advances, crucial gaps remain in understanding how to design “virtually-native” or diegetic scaffolds that seamlessly support self-regulation within the VR experience. Additionally, there is a need to clarify the evolving role of artificial intelligence as a pedagogical partner, particularly in co-regulating learning without fostering cognitive dependency.This Research Topic aims to advance theoretical and practical approaches that enable learners to better plan, monitor, and reflect within VR-mediated educational ecosystems. Key objectives include investigating how integrated cognitive and affective scaffolds—whether built into the environment or delivered via AI—can restore effective self-regulation and promote adaptive emotional responses. This effort seeks to identify, test, and model strategies that optimize the interplay between immersion, presence, and learner autonomy, ultimately facilitating robust achievement across formal and informal education and training settings.To gather further insights into the boundaries and potential of this domain, we invite contributions addressing both fundamental mechanisms and applied interventions within IVR, while focusing specifically on adaptive scaffolding, self-regulation, and cognitive-emotional outcomes. Articles may explore, but are not limited to, the following themes:● The design of diegetic (virtually-native) scaffolds for supporting self-regulated learning phases (e.g., Forethought and Self-Reflection as per the Zimmerman cycle) in VR● The impact and design constraints of AI-driven co-regulation and pedagogical prompts, particularly in avoiding cognitive offloading● The mediating role of presence and embodiment on achievement emotions and learning outcomes as theorized by CAMIL● Action research projects examining ecological validity, teacher adoption frameworks (such as T-PACK or UTAUT2), and implementation barriers in school and training settings● The influence of avatar congruence and identity alignment on learner motivation, self-efficacy, and persistence● Methodological innovations for monitoring cognitive load, metacognitive strategies, and emotional regulation during VR-based learningAppendix: We welcome article types including original research articles, theoretical perspectives, methodological papers, reviews, and applied case studies. Topic editors: Jean-Christophe SAKDAVONG, Nathalie Huet, André Tricot Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78034/addressing-the-transposition-challenge-in-virtual-reality-adaptive-scaffolding-for-self-regulation-cognitive-load-and-emotions-in-education