Virtual reality to foster empathy in disability workers: A feasibility study during <scp>COVID</scp>‐19

Wilding, Clare; Young, Kimberleigh; Cummins, Caroline; Bowler, Craig; Dean, Trent; Lakhani, Ali; Blackberry, Irene

doi:10.1111/jar.13042

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…While healthcare professionals already use VR to improve medical education and clinical care [22,23,26], its application in the neurodiversity support training sector is still gaining momentum. For instance, a study investigated a custom-built VR program to foster empathy in disability workers by immersing them in the first-person perspective of having an intellectual disability [27]. While there is a significant number of studies related to use with clients of disability support organizations [28][29][30][31][32], our study does focus on staff training.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the Gap: Virtual Reality as a Tool for De-escalation Training in Disability Support Settings

Hsu,

McCabe,

Ellison

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Managing complex behaviors in disability support settings requires competent de-escalation skills. However, current training methods often lack sufficient opportunities for realistic practice. This study details a three-phase development and evaluation of a virtual reality (VR) application for disability support staff to safely build de-escalation skills through simulated interactions. The first phase involved creating VR prototype scenarios depicting escalations with teen clients. Next, content validation by 12 disability-support experts refined the scenarios to confirm appropriateness and realism. Finally, a pilot study tested the tool’s usability and examined initial construct validity in 20 participants. The prototype achieved high usability ratings (average 81.0 (SD 10.7) on the System Usability Scale), and a positive correlation between VR performance and empathy levels were found (Pearson’s r = 0.487, p = 0.035). The promising results highlight the VR application’s potential as a transformative training tool. Future research should expand scenario diversity and compare VR with traditional methods to establish its efficacy in diverse settings and offer a path to enhance staff capabilities in challenging environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging the Gap: Virtual Reality as a Tool for De-escalation Training in Disability Support Settings

Hsu,

McCabe,

Ellison

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Recent studies indicate that HMD VR experiences from a first-person perspective are more immersive and induce more empathetic reactions than VR experienced on a 2D screen or when the VR user is a bystander in the VR scenario [29,31]. The importance and difficulty of creating, or finding and choosing, qualitative and pedagogically suitable HMD VR experiences for empathy development is also stressed in research [32], as is the need for more research in the field [25,33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Cultural Empathy in International Social Work Education through Virtual Reality

et al. 2023

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School-based bullying is a major global social problem affecting societies around the world. It is argued that Virtual Reality (VR) offers benefits and possibilities in social work education. Within this context, a study was carried out with the aim of analysing students’ experiences with a school-based bullying scenario through Head-Mounted Display Virtual Reality (HMD VR), and exploring the pedagogical potential of this technology to support the enhancement of cultural empathy in international social work education. Using cultural competence and social constructivist perspectives focused on empathy theory, this article addresses the following research questions: How do the research participants describe experiencing the bullying scene with HMD VR? How do the research participants account for their HMD VR experiences in connection with empathy? How can the pedagogical use of HMD VR enhance international social work students’ cultural empathic skills? Data for the study were gathered through four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 38 volunteer research participants based on their postexposure to a scenario on school-based bullying through HMD VR. ATLAS.ti v.23 software (Atlas.ti, Berlin, Germany) was used to undertake a deductive thematic analysis. The findings reveal that HMD VR plays an important role in enhancing different dimensions of empathy, which is an essential element in transformative learning in social work education. The overall implications of using HMD VR in international social work education for enhancing cultural empathy are discussed. The article concludes that HMD VR has a promising role; however, several ethical, practical, and pedagogical aspects need to be considered for this technology tool to provide the sought-after pedagogical value in social work education.

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Virtual and augmented reality to develop empathy: a systematic literature review

Lacle-Melendez,

Silva-Medina,

Bacca-Acosta

2024

Multimed Tools Appl

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Recent research suggests that Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) as immersive technologies are effective in developing empathy. The main reason behind this assumption is that immersive technologies allow people to experience perspective-taking. However, there is a lack of systematic literature reviews that summarize the current state of research on VR and AR to elicit empathy. This paper reports a systematic literature review of 37 academic papers published between 2007 and 2023. The following categories were analyzed in this review: field of education, data collection instruments, sample size, statistically significant results, technologies used, research design, advantages, limitations, and future research. The main findings of this review provide an overview of the current state of research on immersive technologies to elicit empathy and the future challenges in this field. Some of the main findings involve: VR/AR immersion devices are effective and appealing to participants; the Interpersonal Reactivity Index was found to be the most relevant self-report measure; and larger sample sizes (over 100 participants) are vital in VR/AR-based empathy research to provide a quantitative perspective on participants distribution.

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Virtual reality to foster empathy in disability workers: A feasibility study during COVID‐19

Cited by 8 publications

References 30 publications

Bridging the Gap: Virtual Reality as a Tool for De-escalation Training in Disability Support Settings

Bridging the Gap: Virtual Reality as a Tool for De-escalation Training in Disability Support Settings

Enhancing Cultural Empathy in International Social Work Education through Virtual Reality

Virtual and augmented reality to develop empathy: a systematic literature review

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