Navigating the Path to AI and Virtual Immersion: An Exploratory Study of Educational Escape Rooms with the ED-SCALE Model

The growing integration of immersive technologies into education is opening new possibilities for teaching and learning, while also raising concerns about the reliability and potential distortion of knowledge in artificial intelligence-mediated environments. Understanding how users perceive and accept AI-generated content in immersive learning systems is therefore essential. This study explores the factors that influence user acceptance of AI-driven virtual reality (VR) educational applications and explains it through a multidimensional framework that extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) – a new ED-SCALE model. We innovated the previous models through adding an ergonomic dimension, often overlooked in VR-based education. To test the model, we developed an AI-driven VR educational escape room designed to simulate adaptive and interactive learning experiences. Data were collected from 213 participants through a questionnaire measuring subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, attitudes toward AI-mediated instruction, perceived informational efficacy, and ergonomic quality. The findings show that ergonomic quality, intuitive interfaces, physical comfort, and social influence play an important role in shaping user trust and long-term adoption intentions. The results suggest that the success of AI-driven immersive learning systems depends not only on technological performance but also on user experience and social context, confirming our first hypothesis regarding new variables that are conditional for virtual technology acceptance.