## 2 Theoretical Foundations
### Current Status of Research on Users' Willingness to Use  
A metaverse is an envisioned domain that provides immersive digital spaces to support highly interactive environments in educational contexts. [PERSON] et al. [27] explored the main predictors of students' intention to engage with a metaverse, providing deeper insights into the drivers behind young learners' adoption of metaverse platforms. Willingness to use refers to a user's attitude toward utilizing a particular technology or system, which subsequently influences their subjective thinking and behavior [28]. Existing research has increasingly focused on the impact of metaverse technology within the cultural heritage domain, analyzing how this technology affects users' willingness to engage in cultural-heritage-related industries and identifying the factors that influence this willingness from various perspectives. Willingness to use is recognized as a prerequisite for user behavior and satisfaction [29]. Therefore, exploring the factors influencing user intention on metaverse platforms can help address the mismatch between the supply of culture and education technology and user demand, effectively integrating users into the metaverse education ecosystem. Compared to domestic research, foreign studies are relatively more extensive, primarily focusing on applying metaverse technology in developing and implementing world-renowned cultural heritage tourism products. At the technological level, [PERSON] et al. [30] investigated the impact of different virtual environment displays and formats on user perceptions, demonstrating that the authenticity and usability of a virtual cultural tourism experience may be highly dependent on the specific technology employed. [PERSON] et al. [31] and [PERSON] et al. [32] explored the impact of visual realism on user experience in virtual heritage tourism environments, finding that higher levels of authenticity enhanced presence, enjoyment, and knowledge acquisition. [PERSON] et al. [33] emphasized the importance of users' willingness to engage with the cultural heritage metaverse as a catalyst for offline experiences, arguing that the cultural heritage metaverse is a crucial medium for presenting cultural heritage. At the cognitive level, [PERSON] et al. [24] demonstrated how visitors' intentions to use digital museums and actual usage behaviors are influenced by epidemic anxiety, which facilitates the conversion of intention into actual use by integrating the new UTAUT2 model with the TTF model. [PERSON] et al. [34] investigated the level of acceptance and use of metacosmic technology by students in anatomy education in a metacosmic environment within the framework of the UTAUT2 model. [PERSON] et al. [35] employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to validate that learners' perceived risks negatively affect their intention to continue using metaverse technology. On the social level, [PERSON] et al. [36] examined tourism virtual communities and confirmed that social needs are the core elements influencing the interactions among members of these communities. [PERSON] et al. [4] explored the relationship between metaverse characteristics, tourists' attributions, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions using a mixed-methods approach grounded in attribution theory. Their study aimed to optimize the potential of cultural tourism along the Silk Road within the metaverse. [PERSON] et al. [37] used the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as a grounded theory framework to investigate the adoption of meta-universe education in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. However, from the learners' perspective, the factors influencing technology acceptance and adoption in metaverse-based cultural education remain unclear [35]. Additionally, the complexity of user intention is often overlooked in the existing studies. The mechanisms underlying the relationships between influencing factors and user intention have yet to be thoroughly investigated.