## 5 Discussion  
The present TAM-based pilot study offers valuable empirical insights into maritime engineering students' acceptance of fully immersive VR technology for education and training. The findings reinforce the growing body of empirical evidence attesting to the robustness of the TAM and offer novel, context-specific insights into its applicability within education and training in higher maritime institutions. As such, the results provide a compelling foundation for theoretical refinement. In alignment with the broader TAM literature [30, 35, 80], PU emerged in this study as a dominant predictor of students' BI to adopt HMD-VE engine room simulators in the future, thereby empirically supporting H1. The value of path coefficient of \(\beta\) = 0.694 (\(p\) < 0.001) notably exceeds the average PU-BI path coefficients reported in other TAM meta-analysis studies [31, 79, 80] in which the average coefficients ranged between \(\beta\) = 0.40 and \(\beta\) = 0.51. Even in recent VR-related educational research (e.g., [72, 81, 85]), PU-BI, though significant, mostly falls below the threshold identified in the present study. While TAM studies conducted in the maritime domain, such as [39, 42], eagerly remained outside of the fully immersive VR context (e.g., digital chart plotting and GPS use), they also consistently validated PU as a reliable predictor of BI. The elevated PU-BI path coefficient observed in this pilot study may be attributed to several context-specific factors. One plausible explanation might lie in the study-specific conceptualisation of PU. Namely, the present study explicitly framed PU as students' perception of how the HMD-VR engine room simulator contributed to active learning rather than being conceptualised in more general or abstract terms related to the VR platform's utility (e.g., increasing learning/academic performance). By anchoring the PU in a specific, experiential, active learning process, such as engagement, self-paced learning, or knowledge comprehension, the construct was closely aligned with students' immediate educational and training goals. Such targeted construct operationalisation likely enhanced the exemplarity power of PU in predicting BI, particularly within the practice-oriented context of maritime engineering education and training, where competency development through hands-on, active learning is paramount [49, 77]. Another possible contributing factor refers to the novelty of HMD-VR technology within the context of maritime education and training at the Faculty of Maritime Studies. As a newly implemented instructional modernisation, the simulator likely evoked a sense of technological advancement and pedagogical modernisation, which may have positively influenced students' perception of its usefulness and, in turn, strengthened their behavioural intention to adopt it in the future. However, this interpretation should be approached with caution. Namely, it is plausible that the strong effect of PU on BI may partly reflect the initial \"novel effect\" or \"wow phenomenon\" often associated with early exposure to emerging technologies [97]. Thus, to determine the sustained effect of PU on HMD-VR engine room acceptance, this assumption should be further examined in future longitudinal studies involving repeated exposure and follow-up assessments. The findings of this study also revealed a statistically significant and positive relationship between PEU and PU, confirming H2. The observed path coefficient (\(\beta\) = 0.535,