The exploratory study reported in this paper examined the impact of 3D educational virtual environments on three dimensions of student engagement: affective, behavioral, and cognitive.

A 3D virtual environment (CoSy_World) was implemented on the Active Worlds platform for teaching some basic fractional concepts in primary education. A combination of collaborative learning strategies (jigsaw and simulation) and cognitive apprenticeship models formed the basis of the pedagogical framework.

The paper describes the conditions under which the exploratory study was conducted, and explains how engagement was measured and analyzed. This is probably the most interesting contribution of the paper, proposing a set of quantitative indicators for each of the qualitative evaluation criteria, which are in turn related to each of the engagement dimensions. Affective and behavioral engagement was evaluated mainly by coding recorded chat messages and observation notes from videotaped sessions. Cognitive engagement assessment was based on the comparison of pretesting and post-testing of comprehension of fractional concepts.

Most of the indicators reached statistical significance in Friedman non-parametric variance analysis, showing that the CoSy_World system and its pedagogical approach indeed promoted a higher level of student engagement in mathematics.

The paper is addressed mainly to researchers interested in the evaluation of effectiveness of 3D virtual environments in educational settings, but it can also be a source of inspiration for those responsible for the design of appropriate pedagogical strategies in this type of system.