International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

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 Volume 13, Issue 7 (July 2026), Pages: 126-135

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 Review Paper

Effectiveness of virtual reality and simulation-based STEM instruction in developing students’ soft skills: Evidence from a meta-analysis

 Author(s): 

Gulnara Rizakhojayeva 1, 2, Makpal Nurizinova 3, *, Sherzod Ramankulov 4, Naci Genc 5, Shakhnoza Abdurakhmanova 4

 Affiliation(s):

1Foreign Language Teaching Department, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan, Kazakhstan
2Scientific-Research Center, International University of Tourism and Hospitality, Turkestan, Kazakhstan
3Department of Physics and Technology, Sarsen Amanzholov East Kazakhstan University, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan
4Department of Physics, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkestan, Kazakhstan
5Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Yalova University, Yalova, Turkey

 Full text

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8319-4928

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.07.012

 Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR)- and simulation-based STEM instruction in developing students’ soft skills through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and employed a meta-analytic approach. Empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025 were identified from the Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Google Scholar databases, and their quantitative data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software. The results indicate that VR- and simulation-based STEM instruction has a statistically significant, medium-to-high effect on the development of students’ soft skills. In particular, virtual laboratories and problem-based simulation activities show a strong positive effect on communication, teamwork, and critical thinking skills. These findings support the use of VR and simulation technologies as evidence-based pedagogical tools for enhancing students’ soft skills in STEM education and contribute to the advancement of digital STEM learning environments and curriculum innovation.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Virtual reality, Simulation-based learning, STEM education, Soft skills, Meta-analysis

 Article history

Received 4 February 2026, Received in revised form 3 July 2026, Accepted 19 July 2026

 Acknowledgment

This research was supported by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan under Grant No. BR28713097. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

Rizakhojayeva G, Nurizinova M, Ramankulov S, Genc N, and Abdurakhmanova S (2026). Effectiveness of virtual reality and simulation-based STEM instruction in developing students’ soft skills: Evidence from a meta-analysis. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(7): 126-135

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