About this Research Topic

Background

Virtual reality (VR) holds immense potential to foster transformative experiences that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). By transporting users to virtual environments, VR allows for the exploration of diverse perspectives, cultures, and identities, potentially evoking empathy. However, the impact of empathy in driving behavioural change within the principles of DEI remains a question that warrants investigation.

VR offers various avenues through which it can promote DEI. Numerous VR experiences have been developed to enable users to virtually visit cultural landmarks, attend events, and interact with people from different parts of the world, transcending physical boundaries and fostering inclusive, accessible, and socially diverse platforms. Additionally, VR has demonstrated its effectiveness in promoting inclusion for individuals with disabilities or health conditions.

Embodiment, a defining characteristic of VR, enhances users' sense of agency and ownership over their virtual avatars, engendering feelings such as body transfer and heightening presence and engagement
within the virtual world. Research has harnessed this mechanism to immerse individuals in perspective-taking experiences, allowing them to embody virtual characters from different identity groups, such as
gender, race, or privilege. The embodiment has shown potential for fostering understanding and empathy, but the extent to which empathy evoked by VR experiences leads to behavioural change within the principles of DEI requires further investigation.

Virtual reality can also provide a safe space for individuals to explore and express their gender identity or sexual orientation without fear of discrimination or violence. This aspect of VR offers opportunities
for self-discovery and self-expression, but the specific impact of empathy on promoting DEI principles in these contexts remains an open question for exploration.

Education and workplace training stand as additional domains where VR can promote DEI. By immersing learners in interactive scenarios, VR creates engaging and memorable learning experiences, particularly
for topics like cultural competence/assimilation, unconscious bias, and harassment prevention. Realistic simulations in VR can offer cost-effective alternatives or advancements to expensive real-life
educational and training activities. Investigating the role of empathy evoked by VR in influencing behaviour change within the principles of DEI in these educational and training settings is a key area for
research.

We invite authors to submit their work exploring approaches to promote DEI using VR (or extended reality, XR). Submissions may include experimental research studies, systematic reviews, and conceptual contributions toward utilizing XR as a medium for social good and well-being, with a specific focus on investigating the impact of empathy on driving behavioural change within the principles of DEI. By critically examining the outcomes and potential limitations of VR experiences, authors can contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms at play and explore other factors that may contribute to
meaningful and sustainable impact in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Potential submission themes include, but are not limited to:

1. Representation and diversity: Examining how VR experiences can create inclusive and representative environments, including safe spaces for marginalized groups to express themselves and share their perspectives.
2. Accessibility: Designing VR experiences that cater to a wide range of users, regardless of their geographical location or individual differences, including people with disabilities. This theme encompasses exploring how VR can be used to provide immersive experiences for individuals who are deaf, blind, or have other disabilities.
3. Bias and Stereotypes: Identifying and addressing biases and stereotypes that exist in VR environments, with a focus on challenging stereotypes and promoting diversity and inclusion.
4. Cultural Competency: Exploring how VR experiences can promote cross-cultural understanding and communication, creating immersive and authentic cultural experiences for people from different backgrounds.
5. Ethical Considerations, limitations, risks, and Challenges: Investigating potential risks and benefits of VR experiences, particularly concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion. This includes exploring ethical issues such as privacy, consent, and the potential for VR to reinforce existing power structures and inequalities.
6. XR efficacy: Comparing XR interventions to other mediums and tools and identifying the advantages of XR in promoting DEI. Additionally, investigating the role of empathy in driving
behavioural change within the principles of DEI can shed light on the effectiveness of VR in achieving meaningful outcomes.

We hope that this call for submissions will encourage researchers, practitioners, and educators to explore the potential of VR to promote DEI, including the role of empathy, and contribute to a more
comprehensive understanding of its impact. VR has the potential to be a powerful tool for creating a more just and equitable world, and investigating its effects on the principles of DEI is essential to
harnessing its full potential.

Keywords: Extended Reality, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Prosocial behaviour

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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