Development and Initial Validation of an Innovative Virtual Reality Simulation in Teaching Fetal Development of Midwifery Students: Qualitative Analysis

Objective: The aim of this pilot study is to teach midwifery students fetal development with the Fetal Development Application created by virtual reality (VR) technology, an innovative application, and to acquire their reflections on their experiences. Methods: A descriptive qualitative research design was used. The VR application was created by visualizing the fetal development, umbilical cord and placenta localization week by week and transferring them to the virtual environment. Forty-two midwifery students who experienced the practice were included in the study. Students who had previously taken fetal development in the normal pregnancy course were shown the application with VR glasses in the laboratory environment. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with a semi-structured interview form and a Presence Questionnaire developed by the researchers. They evaluated students’ perceptions of the practice’s strengths and weaknesses and whether the game would be useful as a learning too. Results: The thematic analysis resulted in the following components of the practice experience: interaction, motivation, knowledge, and realism. Students reported that it is effective for understanding fetal development and can be used in lessons. These results highlighted students’ acceptance of technology as a teaching and learning resource and showed potential for future developments. Conclusion: In line with these results, it was seen that the effect of the application was permanent. It has been seen that the VR method has a good practice effect in teaching fetal development and midwifery practice. More research is needed to assess whether students’ learning and retention of knowledge are improved using this new technology.