The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of virtual reality (VR) and emotionally resonant videos on knowledge retention for adult learners at a contractor safety training organization supporting the energy industry. The intent of this research was to determine if traditional computer-based training (CBT) can be made more…

This dissertation compares the performance of equivalence test (EQT) and null hypothesis test (NHT) procedures for identifying invariant and noninvariant factor loadings under a range of experimental manipulations. EQT is the statistically appropriate approach when the research goal is to find evidence of group similarity rather than group…

Situation awareness (SA) is linked with actionable decision-making and clinical judgment in nursing practice. The cognitive processes used in developing SA, outlined in Endsley's (1995) model, is the framework underpinning this study and are interwoven into the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Clinical Judgment Measurement Model…

This dissertation responds to what Sarah Kavanagh and Katie Danielson (2020) call a "raging fire of debate about the relationship between justice and practice" in the scholarship around teacher education. Expanding upon the research focusing on clinical simulations for teacher education as well as the critiques of Practice-Based Teacher…

There is growing consensus that data-informed decision-making through human-centered inquiry and design process results in improved outcomes for designed artifacts. Among the latest trends is a group of tools and processes loosely assimilated under the umbrella term, "design thinking." These "designerly ways of knowing" are…

This study explored incorporating immersive environments into the simulation-based training of paramedics to enhance engagement and improve work-readiness status by developing more authentic simulation scenarios. The training of paramedics must move past traditional practices and critically explore better ways to prepare paramedics to perform with…

Empathetic behaviors by nurses have been shown to improve both patient satisfaction and health outcomes. However, there has been a documented decline in empathy levels among the undergraduate population, including nursing students. For these reasons nurse educators have sought ways to foster and improve empathy development in nursing students.…

Education and training activities have utilized many technologies including extended reality. This generic qualitative inquiry study looks at the lessons learned from implementing extended reality in education and training with the intent of identifying what areas should be looked at that will assist in implementing this advanced technology that…

The COVID pandemic led to a sudden expansion of telehealth in the delivery of nursing services. At the same time, nursing education was forced to extend clinical learning to online approaches. However, telehealth clinical experiences are limited in the nursing curricula of entry-level programs. Nursing simulation is an educational activity that…

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 this study. The quantitative portion of the study used a convenience sample of 10 PSTs enrolled in one of two practice-based…

Recently, Bayesian diagnostic classification modeling has been becoming popular in health psychology, education, and sociology. Typically information criteria are used for model selection when researchers want to choose the best model among alternative models. In Bayesian estimation, posterior predictive checking is a flexible Bayesian model…

Augmented Reality (AR) is a medium that gives people the ability to engage with digital information in ways that deviate from more traditional HCI methods (e.g. WIMP user interfaces (Christensson, 2014)). Previous work has shown that AR has useful implications for collaboration, and with remote work experiences and teleconferencing becoming…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to collect data from 18 published augmented reality researchers to determine their perceptions on: (a) how augmented reality will influence high school education in the future; (b) how augmented reality will impact curriculum and instruction, taking into account specific content areas (e.g., science,…

This dissertation aimed to expand knowledge and practical uses of educational technology tools in high-stakes team training environments. This study depicted the real-world impacts of virtual reality (VR) technology on learning and training for the Royal New Zealand Police Academy and those training teams in high-stakes environments.…

As virtual reality (VR) becomes more commonly used in education, it is important to understand the technology's weakness and mitigate any potential negative effects on student success. One adverse side-effect of VR use is simulation-induced motion sickness, known in the context of VR as VR sickness. Previous research by Howard and Van Zandt (2021)…