#1017: Multimodal Analysis of Productive Confusion During Virtual Reality Collaboration: An Exploratory Study

Confusion is a common yet complex emotion in learning, which can become productive confusion that promotes deeper understanding and reflection. However, little is known about how such confusion unfolds in collaborative virtual reality (VR) environments. This exploratory study investigates how learners express and regulate productive confusion during a VR collaborative problem-solving (CPS) task. Eight undergraduate students participated in the collaborative VR game. Multimodal data, including in-game recordings, videos, and audio, were coded for verbal and gestural behaviors. Sequential pattern mining and temporal mapping were conducted to reveal multimodal patterns. Results show that confusion was jointly expressed through verbal–gestural coordination, particularly questioning paired with pointing and manipulation. Successful dyads transformed confusion into resolution through iterative cycles of planning, execution, and reflection. Gestures played a crucial role in establishing shared confusion. This study contributes to understanding how productive confusion operates as an embodied, socially shared process in VR environments.