Fostering Student Nurses’ Self-Regulated Learning with the Second Life Environment: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: This study investigated the potential use of Second Life (SL) to facilitate nursing students’ confidence and motivation, as well as its impact on their self-regulated learning development. Background: The current emphasis on nursing education in general has resulted in more consideration of different virtual learning environments as a means for assessing individuals’ learning in a healthcare context. Methodology: A quantitative research approach employing the survey method was used in this study. A model fit for Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique on 218 participants was produced to estimate the direct effect of environmental elements in terms of environment content design, environment interactivity, and environment functionality on student nurses’ behaviour in terms of motivation and confidence. In addition, the direct effect of student nurses’ behaviour on the development of their self-regulated learning was also examined and discussed. Two SL medical scenarios were designed to facilitate nurse students’ mastery of the learning task. Contribution: This study shows the potential of using SL for empowering nurses’ self-regulated learning and collaborative learning. It extends the current understanding on how SL can assess nurses to learn about clinical related matters through the control of teleported characters (avatars), thus enhancing self-regulation. Findings: This study found that SL content design, functionality, and interactivity can positively affect nursing students’ learning by providing them with the necessary elements to stimulate their confidence and motivation. We also found that nursing students’ confidence and motivation when using SL have significantly contributed to their self-regulated learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: Findings from this study can help educational decision makers to consider the use of seamless learning environments, like the SL, to help students solve problems and generate alternative responses to their issues.

Self-Regulated Learning and Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Scoping Review

“…Reference n 2015 [22,23] (n = 2) 2016 [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] (n = 8) 2017 [32][33][34][35][36][37] (n = 6) 2018 [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] (n = 9) 2019 [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56] (n = 10) 2020 [57][58][59][60][61] (n = 5) 2021 [62] (n = 1)…”

Virtual reality and collaborative learning: a systematic literature review

“…Among those that did, constructivism and PBL were featured substantially (33.1% and 41.0%, respectively), while paradigms such as experientialism, situated learning and distributed cognition were discussed less frequently. Other educational approaches, discussed in 35.3% of articles, included self-regulation and shared regulation (e.g., Al-Hatem et al, 2018) as well as cognitive apprenticeship (e.g., Bouta and Retalis, 2013).…”

What Previous Research Says About Virtual and Augmented Reality in Higher Education

“…When the studies on the advantages of VR and AR are examined, it can be said that VR-based content helped students better understand the subject matter and allowed the instructor to design the course without the need for costly laboratory upgrades (Syed et al, 2019). In terms of motivation and engagement, AR-based learning modes may attract and motivate learners to learn (Chu et al, 2019) and boosts their confidence (Al-Hatem, 2018). Last but not least, several advanced tools for ICT-supported pedagogical practices, such as gamification and the use of virtual and mixed reality, as well as social media, can help university students develop collaborative skills online (Martinez, 2018).…”

“…The shorting of the teaching strategies follows simulations as digital learning environment, field trips, assessments and virtual labs.In terms of interaction and collaborative learning, the teaching strategies used with virtual and augmented realities do not provide the interactive environment and opportunity for collaborative learning for students, contrary to expectations. Simulations have been mostly implemented in virtual and augmented realities research in higher education as a teaching strategy, but those simulations do not give any chance to students to interact with their peers, even though research shows that any increase in environment interactivity will increase user's confidence(Al-Hatem et al, 2018).…”