Mixed-Reality Teaching Experiences Improve Preservice Special Education Students’ Perceptions of their Ability to Manage a Classroom

Abstract

Classroom management is an important skill for classroom teachers that they typically learn while completing their teacher preparation program. Traditional ways of teaching classroom management skills, such as practicum and internship experiences, may not provide the intensity of instruction needed for preservice teachers to develop the classroom management skills needed to be successful in the classroom. An alternative to these traditional methods of teacher preparation is Mursion. Mursion is a mixed-reality environment that allows preservice candidates to practice teaching specially designed scenarios (simulations) with student avatars. In this mixed methods study, we evaluated the effects of Mursion teaching experiences on undergraduate special education juniors' perceptions of readiness to manage a classroom. Twenty-five undergraduate students aged 18-29 participated in the study during the first semester of their junior year. Results indicated that following the Mursion experiences, most participants perceived that: they were better prepared to teach, Mursion was an effective way to practice new skills, the avatars seemed like real students, they had more confidence to manage undesired behaviors, and they felt like they were in a real classroom. Implications for practice indicate that Mursion provides a safe environment for preservice teachers to learn complex skills such as classroom management. Additional research is needed to evaluate how much time is optimal for learning in mixed-reality environments and the efficacy of using Mursion with distance education learners.

Preservice Teacher Experiences Implementing Classroom Management Practices Through Mixed-Reality Simulations

“…These results may seem surprising given that participants often find the teaching sessions challenging because of the interactor’s ability to rapidly present a series of challenging behaviors (Judge et al, 2013). However, similar results were found by the authors in an earlier study (Hudson et al, 2018), which indicated that while participants found the mixed-reality teaching sessions challenging, when they were able to successfully meet the challenge, they gained confidence in themselves and their ability to successfully manage a classroom.…”

“…The survey was adapted from a perceptions survey developed by Dieker (2016). Adaptations to the survey included rewording the statements to be first person (e.g., “I am able to practice the skills I am learning,” rather than “Teaching in the Mursion lab is an effective way to practice new classroom skills.”) In addition, 10 new statements were added to the survey to evaluate specific aspects of the experience (e.g., inability to accomplish lesson objectives, perceptions that the avatars were mean and unfair) that we became aware of after completing an earlier study (Hudson, Voytecki, & Zhang, 2018). The current instrument has not been validated.…”

Perceptions and Opinions of the Usability of Simulations in a Mathematics Methods Course for Elementary Pre-Service Teachers

“…The instrument used to measure the EPSMTs perceptions, views, and opinions was adapted from Hudson, Voytecki, & Zhang, (2018), Bousfield, (2017, and Rasimah, Ahmad, & Zaman, (2011), and tailored to meet the purpose and needs of this study. It comprises 27 questions in a 5-Likert-scale type ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree (see Appendix A).…”

A Nonverbal Immediacy Treatment with Pre-Service Teachers Using Mixed Reality Simulations

“…A multidisciplinary group of educators and scientists at the University of Central Florida created the TeachLivE® mixed reality simulation environment, now commercialized as Mursion®, to help recruit and prepare pre-service math, science, and special education teachers for the demands of the complex teaching environment (L Dieker et al, 2008;Hudson et al, 2018). Mursion® provides simulation environments for the development of technical and interpersonal skills of personnel in fields such as business, health care, defense, and education (Mursion, Inc., 2019a).…”

“…Participants perceived their level of comfort and confidence in teaching increased over the course of a semester in which they received the treatment package focused on increasing nonverbal immediacy within mixed reality simulations. Similarly, Hudson et al (2018) examined the effect of mixed reality simulations on undergraduate special education teachers' perceptions of their ability to manage a classroom. Results indicated that following the Mursion simulations, preservice teachers perceived they were better prepared to manage classroom behaviors over time.…”