Examining the Effectiveness of 3D Virtual Reality Training on Problem-solving, Self-efficacy, and Teamwork Among Inexperienced Volunteers Helping With Drug Use Prevention: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Use of illegal drugs among adolescents is one of the critical health problems. The Taiwan government provides an accompanying volunteer program to prevent students who experiment with drugs from reusing them. An appropriate training program can improve volunteers’ abilities to assist students from using drug. Problem solving, self-efficacy and teamwork are critical abilities for volunteers who help with drug use prevention. By interacting with the animation or 3D VR in the virtual scene, learners can immerse themselves in the virtual environment to learn, and 3D VR can increase learning opportunities, and reduce the cost of human and material resources. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a spherical video-based virtual reality (SVVR) training in improving problem solving, self-efficacy and teamwork among volunteers who helped with adolescent illegal drugs use prevention. METHODS This study used a randomized controlled design of 68 participants in the experiment and control groups. The participants in the experiment group received the SVVR training program and their counterparts did not receive any training. RESULTS GEE analyses indicated the experiment group showed significant post-training improvements on problem-solving and self-efficacy, but not for teamwork when compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS The findings showed that the SVVR training enhanced the volunteers’ abilities to deal with adolescent’s illegal drugs use. The SVVR training is suggested to improve volunteers’ abilities to prevent adolescents’ illegal drugs use.