Immersive learning environments: Virtual reality for developing decision-making skills in high-stress occupations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2026.20.02.15Keywords:
foreign language communicative competence, digital avatars, foreign language, higher education, motivationAbstract
Immersive learning environments based on virtual reality (VR) technologies have opened up new opportunities for training professionals whose activities are related to work in complex and dynamic conditions. The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of using VR training to develop decision-making skills in complex professional situations, to identify psychological factors that influenced the effectiveness of activities in such environments. The study involved 300 people who were divided into an experimental group (VR training) and a control group (traditional scenario training). Analysis of the results showed the presence of significant differences between the groups. Participants who underwent training in a VR environment had better indicators of situational awareness, speed of situation analysis, accuracy of decision-making. Additionally, analysis of variance indicated that the effectiveness of scenario tasks increased in accordance with the intensity of VR scenario use in the learning process. The results of regression analysis indicated that the intensity of VR use (β = 0.34, p < 0.001), psychological resilience (β = 0.30, p < 0.001) and emotional self-regulation (β = 0.26, p < 0.001) had the greatest impact. This indicates the important role of both pedagogical learning conditions and individual psychological resources of participants. The findings emphasize that the combination of immersive technologies and participants' psychological resources contributed to the formation of more effective cognitive strategies for analyzing situations.
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