Virtual reality in undergraduate business education: How learning occurs across Kolb’s experiential learning cycle

Virtual reality’s (VR) potential and applications in education gained much interest recently, particularly as a pedagogical tool in higher education. It is well recognized for its immersive nature, promoting interaction and a sense of realism. A noticeable gap exists in the empirical application of VR in business education grounded in a specific learning theory. This study applies Kolb’s experiential learning theory and employs Kolb’s four-stage cycle to examine the impact of VR-immersive pedagogy—an area that remains underexplored. The study is qualitative and uses thematic analysis with ChatGPT as a research tool. While language models, such as ChatGPT, have gained much attention as a research tool, the benefits and limitations must be critically considered. The findings provide a comprehensive narrative of how students engage in the four phases of Kolb’s learning cycle: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. This study also identified the challenges and practical difficulties encountered in using VR in the classroom. It provides educators with a deeper understanding of the pedagogical impact of VR, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding curriculum design and pedagogy to facilitate experiential learning. This study highlights the potential of language models to enhance qualitative data analysis.