GeoVentura: AI-Integrated Virtual Field Trip Innovation to Build Geography Students’ Spatial Thinking Skills

Abstract

Spatial thinking is an essential skill that geography students must possess to effectively analyze geographic phenomena. However, students’ spatial thinking skills remain sub-optimal due to the limited availability of interactive learning media designed to cultivate these capabilities. To address this limitation, the AI-integrated GeoVentura Virtual Field Trip (VFT) was developed as an innovative alternative learning medium. This study aims to: (1) produce a valid and practical AI-integrated GeoVentura Virtual Field Trip learning medium, and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of this AI-integrated GeoVentura VFT medium in improving students' spatial thinking skills. This research employed a Research and Development (R&D) method using the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) framework. Data were collected using validation questionnaires administered to media and material experts to assess feasibility, student response questionnaires to measure practicality, and learning outcome tests to quantify improvements in spatial thinking skills. The validation results indicated that the medium was "very feasible," achieving scores of 93.29% from media experts and 81.81% from material experts. Additionally, the student practicality questionnaire yielded a score of 91.91%, categorized as "very feasible." Furthermore, the effectiveness testing demonstrated an N-Gain score of 0.68, confirming that the GeoVentura VFT learning medium is effective in enhancing students' spatial thinking skills. Ultimately, integrating artificial intelligence into Virtual Field Trips provides a significantly more substantive, immersive, and interactive learning experience, holding strong potential to elevate the overall quality of geography education.