Research suggests that the likelihood of students entering into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers can be increased by promoting and maintaining students’ interest in STEM during middle school years, a critical developmental stage when students’ interests begin to solidify. One way to attract students to STEM is through technology-enhanced learning environments and experiences, which can spark and cultivate the long-term interest needed to pursue STEM careers. Virtual reality (VR) can potentially increase access to such STEM-related experiences for all students due to its educational and technological affordances. Currently, there has been little exploration of the intersection between VR and career development for K-12 students. This study, therefore, aims to address this gap by exploring the use of VR 360 videos for STEM career exploration. Data were collected using focus group interviews with 39 primarily Latinx middle school students who participated in the summer enrichment program. These interviews were conducted immediately after a VR 360 video activity that featured female characters and/or characters from racial minorities in order to best support students who are underrepresented in STEM fields. The findings support the potential of VR as a tool for career development as long as content, possible physical side effects, and scaffolding are considered. The implications for research and practice are discussed.

研究表明，通过在中学阶段促进和保持学生对 STEM 的兴趣，可以增加学生进入科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 职业的可能性，这是学生兴趣开始巩固的关键发展阶段。吸引学生进入 STEM 的一种方法是通过技术增强的学习环境和体验，这可以激发和培养追求 STEM 职业所需的长期兴趣。由于虚拟现实 (VR) 的教育和技术可供性，虚拟现实 (VR) 可能会增加所有学生获得此类 STEM 相关体验的机会。目前，对于 K-12 学生的 VR 与职业发展之间的交叉点的探索很少。因此，本研究 旨在通过探索使用 VR 360 视频进行 STEM 职业探索来弥补这一差距。数据是通过焦点小组访谈收集的，主要是对 39 名参加暑期充实计划的拉丁裔中学生。这些采访是在以女性角色和/或少数民族角色为特色的 VR 360 视频活动之后立即进行的，以便最好地支持在 STEM 领域代表性不足的学生。只要考虑到内容、可能的身体副作用和脚手架，这些发现就支持 VR 作为职业发展工具的潜力。讨论了对研究和实践的影响。这些采访是在以女性角色和/或少数民族角色为特色的 VR 360 视频活动之后立即进行的，以便最好地支持在 STEM 领域代表性不足的学生。只要考虑到内容、可能的身体副作用和脚手架，这些发现就支持 VR 作为职业发展工具的潜力。讨论了对研究和实践的影响。这些采访是在以女性角色和/或少数民族角色为特色的 VR 360 视频活动之后立即进行的，以便最好地支持在 STEM 领域代表性不足的学生。只要考虑到内容、可能的身体副作用和脚手架，这些发现就支持 VR 作为职业发展工具的潜力。讨论了对研究和实践的影响。