Metaliteracy as a Foundation for Equitable Learning in Metaverse-Based Higher Education: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The metaverse, an emerging digital ecosystem, presents transformative opportunities for higher education by enabling immersive, interactive and globally distributed learning experiences. However, realising its potential necessitates equipping students and educators with metaliteracy, a critical competency encompassing digital literacy, critical thinking, ethical information use and collaborative knowledge creation. This article employs a systematic literature review methodology, drawing on 67 peer-reviewed sources published between 2021 and 2026 across five electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, IEEE Xplore and Google Scholar), to examine how metaliteracy frameworks can be integrated into metaverse-enabled higher education environments. The study addresses five principal objectives: (1) to conceptualise the metaverse within higher education contexts; (2) to examine the relationship between higher education institutions and metaverse technologies; (3) to articulate the rationale for metaliteracy in metaverse-based learning; (4) to analyse metaliteracy deficits among educators and students; and (5) to propose evidence-based recommendations for equitable metaverse integration. Findings indicate the centrality of metaliteracy frameworks in addressing challenges such as data privacy, digital disparity and information overload within the metaverse. Conclusively, the study highlights the dual institutional responsibility of adapting to technological advancements while ensuring equitable access, and recommends structured metacognition training, ethical content protocols, cross-institutional collaborations and adaptive immersive learning environments as pathways to maximise the educational potential of the metaverse.