As VR becomes increasingly mainstream due to lowering hardware costs and increased access to VR content, it becomes critical to fill the gap in learning sciences literature that explains how this content may be developed in alignment with targeted learning outcomes. It also becomes imperative to study the integration of VR outside the laboratory--such as in real-world K-12 learning environments--in ways that might promote sustained long-term use. The first set of contributions of this dissertation is to demystify the ambiguity in findings on learning with VR and identify the holes in the literature on the learning affordances of immersive VR in education research. This includes identifying key areas for future research that align with the core objectives of the learning sciences and technology design (LSTD) field and motivating deeper collaboration across fields of expertise. At the same time, this dissertation builds upon prior work in climate change education to develop new designs, theories, and findings for creating VR learning curricula and advancing conversational learning with virtual reality climate change field trips. The work also contributes to an agenda of prioritizing the creation of VR learning content for similar meritorious social purposes. Ultimately, the gold standard for an immersive VR experience is to cause behavior change and not stay limited to belief change. To this end, the dissertation unpacks the relationship between learner agency with VR and climate change knowledge, skills, and attitudes, including the specific features of the learning experience that differentiate between having an effect on belief versus having an effect on behavior. This work aims to serve as a stepping stone for conducting a more thorough needs assessment into other domains where such a VR experience may engage a global audience of users on an issue of global significance (such as climate change), possibly aligning our objectives with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The vision is to leverage the potentialities and affordances of this new media technology to move various stakeholders toward solutions that incorporate collective action-oriented perspectives. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]