Review of research on the outcomes of embodied and collaborative learning in STEM in higher education with immersive technologies

In recent years, embodied learning has gained currency in the field of education, allowing interactivity between users, thus contributing to collaborative learning in the flow of embodied immersive technology. Evidence based studies conducted in this field tackled the effectiveness of this approach on students' performance and learning outcomes in children's education. However, scarcity of scoping reviews treating the outcome of using embodied collaborative learning on higher education students' performance was detected. Considering the relevance of building a theoretical background guiding further research in this current field, this meta-analysis was conducted to fill the gap. This article describes the current issues on research about embodied collaborative learning in STEM education in XR learning settings to identify advances and gaps. Published papers between 2013 and 2023 were selected from educational databases, identifying 12 documents related to the subject of interest of this meta-analysis. Results show that embodied learning have positive impact on social interactivity and collaboration between students. Positive impact on students' academic outcomes was also detected. Alongside with the preceding, embodied collaborative learning has a positive impact on overall students' social flow (motivation, cohesion, emotions, interaffectivity, satisfaction). This article presents a theoretical background for embodied collaborative testing tools based on embodied social presence and collaboration practical criteria.