The Effects of Classes using Virtual Reality Simulations of the Hospital Environment on Knowledge of the Hospital Environment, Academic Self-efficacy, Learning Flow, Educational Satisfaction and Academic Achievement in Nursing Students

Purpose: This study examined the effects of virtual reality (VR)-based fundamental nursing education on nursing students’ knowledge of the hospital environment, academic self-efficacy, learning flow, educational satisfaction, and academic achievement.Methods: In total, 137 nursing students participated in this non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest study, with 69 and 68 in the experimental and control groups, respectively. Differences in the dependent variables between the two groups before and after the intervention were compared using the independent-sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U test.Results: The VR intervention group showed significantly higher knowledge of the hospital environment (t=3.88, p<.001), educational satisfaction (z=-3.82, p<.001), and academic achievement (z=-2.54, p=.011) than the control group.Conclusion: These findings indicate that VR-based education is an effective intervention for improving knowledge of the hospital environment, educational satisfaction, and academic achievement in nursing education.