VR technology is being widely used in education due to it's a sense of immersion, real-time interaction, and ability to stimulate imagination. However, there is a lack of research comparing students at different stages. This study used a quasi-experimental design involving 73 fourth-grade and 86 eighth-grade students in two schools in northwest China minority gathering area. One class in each grade level used Virtual Reality (VR) headsets device to teach science content, while the other used interactive whiteboards. The study aimed to examine the differences in students' learning performance, problem-solving ability, self-efficacy, and technology acceptance. The findings showed that VR environment: (a) enhanced the learning performance of primary school students but did not have a significant impact on secondary students; (b) significantly improved problem-solving ability for both primary and secondary school students; (c) significantly promoted self-efficacy for both primary and secondary students; and (d) had a significant influence on technology acceptance for both primary and secondary students. Therefore, we recommended that teachers could integrate VR technology into science labs to enhance secondary students' problem-solving ability and self-efficacy, and improve primary students' learning performance, problem-solving ability, and self-efficacy.