Unlocking the Potential of the Metaverse: Empowering Moroccan Teachers to Revolutionize Education through Emerging Technologies

الملخص

This study investigates Moroccan teachers’ perceptions of the Metaverse and virtual reality (VR) technologies within educational contexts, evaluating their potential to support pedagogical innovation and professional empowerment. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research examines the extent to which perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use predict educators’ intentions to adopt immersive technologies. A quantitative survey was conducted with 166 teachers from both public and private schools in the Fez-Meknes region, and the data were analysed using t-tests, ANOVA, and regression models. The findings confirm that both core TAM variables significantly influence adoption intentions, with notable variations across gender, institutional affiliation, and geographical location. Contrary to dominant assumptions in technology adoption literature, older and more experienced teachers reported higher perceived benefits, suggesting a reframing of technological engagement as a means of professional reassertion rather than remediation. While male and female teachers demonstrated comparable levels of perceived usefulness and readiness, female educators reported lower satisfaction, highlighting affective and contextual disparities that condition the experience of technological integration. Educators working in rural or under-resourced environments expressed greater enthusiasm for adopting immersive tools, indicating that such technologies may serve as a disruptive force in spatial and institutional hierarchies. These results suggest that empowerment emerges not from access alone, but from the interaction between technological opportunity, professional identity, institutional support, and broader questions of systemic equity. This study contributes to a context-sensitive application of TAM within an underrepresented national setting. It underscores the need for professional development frameworks that prioritise teacher agency in the process of digital transformation.