Qualitative Assessment of Undergraduate Nursing Students' Perceptions of Combined Virtual Reality and Group Discussion Learning Interventions: A Focus Group Study

Abstract

Context: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced major changes in the learning environment. The author’s institution created virtual reality (VR) learning content to enhance readiness for on-the-job training students by allowing them to enter situations and circumstances beyond traditional learning, experience simulations of target individuals, and think about the nursing assistance needed. The education combined VR and 360-degree video content with group discussions to increase learning depth. A qualitative analysis of the evaluations from the participating students’ perception was performed to obtain suggestions for future educational methods.

Aim: This study aimed to elucidate how undergraduate nursing students perceive the effectiveness of education that combines VR learning content with group discussions.

Methods: This qualitative descriptive study summarizes the educational effectiveness from data obtained through focus group interviews (FGI). In the data collection process, two focus group interviews were conducted with five nursing students at a nursing university in the Tokyo metropolitan area in March 2023, using an interview guide that was independently created. The study subjects participated in the nursing practical training and exercises that combined VR learning content with group discussions.

Results: Based on the FGI of five participants, two main themes were identified, "educational effectiveness" and "challenges." Educational effectiveness" contains the following four subthemes as effects of the combination of VR learning content and group discussions: Opportunities to think about the experiences of patients receiving care and the ethical behavior of nurses, promotion of understanding of clinical situations that are normally inaccessible, opportunities for reflection through recollection of previous experiences, and expanding and deepening learning in group discussions. Moreover, "challenges" contains two subthemes: Introducing mechanisms and devices to enhance learning effectiveness and VR sickness while viewing the VR learning content.

Conclusion: The introduction of VR learning interventions allows for the simulated experience of three-dimensional reconstructed scenes of places and situations that are normally inaccessible and is provided for learners to be useful as a learning opportunity intended to reconstruct knowledge and understanding. Additionally, the emotional experience of VR learning content based on learners' different perspectives and sensitivities can be combined with group discussions to deepen learning through multifaceted opinions and realizations. An effective educational method for fostering critical thinking skills is to incorporate group work into VR-based educational programs.