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The purpose of this mixed-methods convergent research study was to gain insight into the perceived importance of emotional awareness with two groups of pre-service teachers (PSTs) participating in a mixed reality simulator (MRS), as well as the impact of emotional awareness exercises in a MRS on adaptiveness in coping and empathy with the treatment group. Statistical significance was found on for the Affective Empathy QCAE subscale score for the treatment group. Three themes emerged from the qualitative data of survey responses: emotional awareness as it related to emotional state, emotional state and emotional awareness as it related to having an impact on performance, and emotional awareness as it related to the context of the simulator experience. Implications are provided for teacher educators using mixed reality simulations.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of time in Mixed-Reality Simulations (MRS) on anxiety levels and coping for pre-service teachers (PSTs). A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was utilized. For each pair of matched observations on both levels for both surveys, no statistically significant difference was found. Three finding statements emerged from the qualitative data: (a) participants experienced anxiety surrounding the mixed-reality simulations from many different sources, (b) participants’ anxiety surrounding the mixed-reality simulations manifested itself in a variety of ways, and (c) participants implemented different coping skills to attempt to manage the anxiety they were experiencing surrounding the mixed-reality simulations. A comparison of the quantitative and the qualitative findings revealed two mixed-method findings: (a) pre-service teachers can benefit from experiencing anxiety within a mixed-reality simulation setting and (b) mixed-reality simulations provide pre-service teachers with the opportunity to develop their coping skills. Implications for the potential benefits and impact of time spent within a mixed-reality simulator on pre-service teachers’ anxiety and adaptiveness in coping are addressed.