Empowering social perspective-taking and collaboration through digital avatars: a quasi-experimental study

This study examined the effectiveness of avatars in digital role-playing scenarios to enhance students’ social perspective-taking and collaborative learning. Limited empirical research compared avatar-based digital and face-to-face role-playing on social perspective-taking and collaborative learning, leaving uncertainty about whether digital role-play can be comparable to traditional methods for supporting meaningful social interaction and collaborative learning outcomes. The research compared students’ perceptions in two settings: digital role-playing with avatars (experimental group) versus traditional face-to-face role-playing (control group). A total of 408 students from two public schools participated in this quasi-experimental study. Data were analysed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings indicated that students who engaged in digital role-playing with avatars reported significantly higher levels of social perspective-taking and collaborative learning compared to those involved in traditional role-playing activities. The SEM analysis further emphasised a significant, positive relationship between collaborative learning and social perspective-taking, suggesting that the use of avatars in role-playing can strengthen students’ ability to empathise with others while supporting collaborative processes. This study provides evidence that avatar-mediated environments support social perspective-taking and collaborative learning, helping guide evidence-based design and adoption of digital role-playing in education.