Original Article
Eduweb, 2026, abril-junio, v.20, n.2. ISSN: 1856-7576
Doi: https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2026.20.02.15
Immersive learning environments: Virtual reality for developing decision-making skills in high-stress occupations
Ruslan Sich
PhD, Bogdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4034-787X
Oleh Reznik
PhD, Bogdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7630-7509
Oleksandr Olytskyi
PhD, Bogdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3502-1234
Andrii Biliavets
PhD, Bogdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8309-529X
Petro Horpynych
Senior lecturer, Bogdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6621-8289
Cómo citar:
Sich, R., Reznik, O., Olytskyi, O., Biliavets, A., & Horpynych, P. (2026). Immersive learning environments: Virtual reality for developing decision-making skills in high-stress occupations. Revista Eduweb, 20(2), 253-271. https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2026.20.02.15
Recibido: 20/03/26 Aceptado: 30/05/26
Resumen
Los entornos de aprendizaje inmersivos basados en tecnologías de realidad virtual (RV) han abierto nuevas oportunidades para la formación de profesionales cuyas actividades se desarrollan en condiciones complejas y dinámicas. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la eficacia del entrenamiento en RV para desarrollar habilidades de toma de decisiones en situaciones profesionales complejas e identificar los factores psicológicos que influyen en la eficacia de las actividades en dichos entornos. El estudio incluyó a 300 personas, divididas en un grupo experimental (entrenamiento en RV) y un grupo de control (entrenamiento tradicional con escenarios). El análisis de los resultados mostró diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los grupos. Los participantes que recibieron entrenamiento en un entorno de RV obtuvieron mejores resultados en cuanto a conciencia situacional, velocidad de análisis de situaciones, precisión en la toma de decisiones y autorregulación emocional. Los resultados del análisis de regresión indicaron que la intensidad del uso de la RV (β = 0,34, p < 0,001), la resiliencia psicológica (β = 0,30, p < 0,001) y la autorregulación emocional (β = 0,26, p < 0,001) tuvieron el mayor impacto. Esto subraya la importancia tanto de las condiciones pedagógicas de aprendizaje como de los recursos psicológicos individuales de los participantes. Los hallazgos destacan que la combinación de tecnologías inmersivas y los recursos psicológicos de los participantes contribuyó a la formación de estrategias cognitivas más eficaces para el análisis de situaciones.
Palabras clave: entornos de aprendizaje inmersivos, aprendizaje en realidad virtual, toma de decisiones, conciencia situacional, formación profesional, tecnologías educativas.
Abstract
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.
Keywords: immersive learning environments, VR learning, decision-making, situational awareness, professional training, educational technologies.
Introduction
The rapid development of digital technologies has significantly influenced the formation of modern educational practices, including in the field of professional training of specialists in high-responsibility fields. In many emergency professions, the effectiveness of activities depended on the ability of specialists to quickly analyze the situation, make informed decisions in limited time conditions and control their own emotional reactions. Traditional educational models, which were based on lecture and seminar forms of training, did not always provide a sufficient level of practical training for such situations, which led to the need to find new pedagogical approaches.
One of the promising areas was the use of immersive learning environments, in particular virtual reality technologies (Virtual Reality, VR). Immersive technologies made it possible to create interactive learning spaces in which students could interact with dynamic simulated scenarios.
In modern scientific literature, interest has been formed in researching the potential of immersive technologies in the education system (Zechner et al., 2023). Studies have shown that VR has increased the engagement of learners, contributed to a deeper understanding of complex processes, and created conditions for practice-oriented learning (Clifford et al., 2019; Dubreucq et al., 2025). In particular, immersive simulations have made it possible to integrate cognitive, behavioral, and emotional components of learning. At the same time, many available studies have focused on the technical aspects of VR or on general indicators of the effectiveness of digital educational tools (Hurrell & Baker, 2020; Kleygrewe et al., 2022). However, the problems of pedagogical design of immersive learning environments and their impact on the development of decision-making skills in complex situations have remained insufficiently studied (Llanos-Ruiz et al., 2025). The latest educational models have taken into account the technological capabilities of VR, pedagogical principles of organizing the educational process, and the features of user interaction with the digital environment. At the same time, an important but under-researched aspect is the economic and organizational feasibility of implementing VR in the educational process (Tsymbal-Slatvinska et al., 2022). Despite the high initial costs of equipment and development, VR technologies can reduce long-term costs due to scalability, repeatability of scenarios, and a reduction in the need for costly practical training.
In such circumstances, the study of the possibilities of using immersive learning environments to develop decision-making skills in professions with a high level of stress has become relevant in the future.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the potential of immersive learning environments based on virtual reality technologies for the development of decision-making skills in professions with a high level of stress. To achieve the goal, the following research objectives were defined:
The study proposed the following hypotheses:
Literature Review
At the current stage of development of research in the field of vocational education, significant attention has been paid to the issue of finding effective pedagogical approaches for training specialists whose activities take place in conditions of increased risk and uncertainty. Since approximately 2020, there has been a noticeable increase in interest in research in the scientific literature that combined pedagogical, psychological and technological approaches to training specialists in complex and stressful situations. Researchers have paid particular attention to the use of digital simulations, immersive learning environments and professional scenario modeling technologies as tools for developing decision-making skills (Vieira et al., 2025; Steingräber et al., 2021; Semenova et al., 2023).
In this context, an important area of research has been the study of psychological and cognitive factors that influenced the effectiveness of professional activity in complex conditions. In particular, recent review studies have shown that the ability to be psychologically resilient and emotionally self-regulating was an important part of decision-making in situations of increased workload (Moreno et al., 2024). In pedagogical practice, training programs aimed at developing these competencies were increasingly used, in particular, trainings that integrated cognitive-behavioral approaches, mindfulness techniques, and emotion management strategies (Filipenko et al., 2024). Researchers have emphasized the effectiveness of such programs, noting the dependence on the possibility of individualizing learning and adapting educational trajectories to the characteristics of participants in the educational process. At the same time, the development of digital educational technologies has significantly expanded the possibilities of pedagogical modeling of complex professional situations (Reale et al., 2023; Vittadello et al., 2025). One of the most promising areas in this context was the use of scenario-based and simulation-based learning, which allowed for the reproduction of realistic work situations in a controlled educational environment. Immersive technologies (such as virtual reality) created conditions for interactive interaction of users with educational scenarios and allowed the formation of practical skills in a safe digital environment.
However, one of the key issues in the study of immersive technologies has become the problem of transferring learning outcomes from a virtual environment to real professional activity. Modern pedagogical research has determined that the effectiveness of VR training cannot be assessed solely through the level of involvement or realism of the simulation. The category of effectiveness should be described based on the ability to form stable cognitive and behavioral patterns that are reproduced in real conditions of activity.
From this point of view, the integration of immersive technologies with psychological and pedagogical approaches to learning is of particular importance (Ocaña-Zuñiga et al., 2023; Ramdani & Kotsou, 2025). For example, the formation of stress resistance, emotional self-regulation and situational awareness has become an important factor that ensured the effective transfer of the formed skills into practical activities. Immersive environments also make it possible to model conditions of uncertainty, limited time and a high level of responsibility.
In addition, the issue of harmonizing individual and socio-organizational factors of learning has become important. Studies have shown that the effectiveness of training in difficult conditions depends on individual characteristics (level of self-regulation, cognitive flexibility) and on the learning space. In particular, the factors of team interaction, organizational culture and after-action review practices have become important. Accordingly, VR environments play the role of an integrative platform that combines individual and collective learning (Ramdani & Kotsou, 2025). Therefore, immersive technologies should be considered as a visualization tool and as a pedagogical environment that provides conditions for the formation, consolidation and transfer of professional competencies.
Several studies have shown that the combination of immersive technologies with pedagogical learning models that were focused on the development of stress resistance significantly increased the effectiveness of specialist training (Andersen et al., 2024; Caudillo-Melgoza & Caudillo Melgoza, 2025). In particular, an increase in attention concentration and a decrease in the number of errors when performing complex tasks in simulated scenarios were confirmed (Gamito et al., 2024). European research projects have also proposed comprehensive training models that combine psychoeducational modules, self-regulation training, situational scenario analysis, and group interaction in digital simulation environments (Steingräber et al., 2021). Such approaches have integrated individual learning, team interaction, and dynamic assessment of professional competencies. A separate area of research has been related to the consolidation of the role of socio-organizational factors in shaping readiness for activity in conditions of increased risk. In particular, studies have shown that organizational climate, management style, safety culture, and the level of collegial support could significantly affect professional resilience and effectiveness in complex situations (Dubiel et al., 2025). Organizations that implemented team incident analysis, after-action review, and horizontal communication practices showed significantly better adaptability and psychological preparedness for unforeseen situations (Fedorenko et al., 2023; Jongbloed et al., 2024). These results confirmed the need for further training programs with special modules aimed at developing team interaction, communication, and collective resilience in complex work environments. At the same time, despite the significant amount of research in this area, a number of significant research gaps remained in the scientific literature. First of all, this concerned a limited number of empirical studies aimed at comprehensively assessing the effectiveness of immersive learning environments for developing decision-making skills in complex situations. Existing training programs differed significantly from the existing standardized criteria for assessing the formation of relevant competencies. Therefore, it remains relevant to conduct further research aimed at empirically verifying pedagogical models of using immersive technologies in the professional training of specialists whose activities are related to work in stressful conditions.
Methodology
Research Design
The study was conducted using a mixed-methods design. It combined quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyze the effectiveness of immersive learning environments based on virtual reality (VR) technologies in developing decision-making skills in situations of increased complexity. This design made it possible to combine statistical measurement of changes in learning outcomes with a deeper analysis of participants’ behavioral responses while performing scenario tasks in a virtual environment.
The study was quasi-experimental in nature and included a comparison of two training models: traditional training and training using an immersive VR environment. In general, the study was implemented in three stages.
The first stage involved a quantitative study to determine the initial level of psychological characteristics related to decision-making in stressful situations (stress tolerance, emotional self-regulation, coping strategies).
In the second stage, participants participated in scenario training tasks. For the experimental group, these scenarios were implemented in VR environments. Participants from the control group performed similar tasks in the traditional format of training simulations. The scenarios consisted of modeling complex professional situations that required rapid response, information analysis, and risk assessment.
The VR scenarios used were to:
The assessment was carried out using standardized observation cards that were filled out by instructors after each scenario.
The VR environment was used with stand-alone VR headsets, which allowed users to immerse themselves in simulated scenarios without the need to connect to external computing systems. The devices are equipped with built-in displays with a resolution of 1832×1920 pixels per eye, a refresh rate of 72–90 Hz, and real-time head and hand movement tracking systems.
Hand-held controllers were also used to interact with the virtual environment, allowing for navigation, selection of actions, and manipulation of objects in the scenarios. Audio support was based on integrated spatial audio systems, which increased the level of sensory load and realism of situations.
The VR scenario software was developed taking into account the principles of interactivity, dynamic situations, and variability of events. This ensured the adaptation of the learning environment to the actions of the participants.
The final stage involved qualitative research in the form of semi-structured interviews with participants and instructors to delve deeper into the experience of using the immersive learning environment and assess its impact on the learning process.
Participants
The study involved 300 people who had undergone professional training or worked in areas of activity associated with a high level of responsibility and the need to make decisions in difficult situations.
The sample structure was as follows:
students and cadets of professional educational programs - 150 people
professionals with practical experience in the relevant professional fields - 150 people
Participants were divided into two groups:
experimental group (VR training) - 150 people
control group (traditional training) - 150 people
Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to those wishing to participate in the experiment (See Table 1).
Table 1.
Inclusion and Exclusion criteria
It is worth noting that the average age of the participants was 27.4 years (SD = 5.8). The proportion of women in the sample was approximately 20%.
Instruments and Procedure
A range of research tools was used to assess the impact of an immersive learning environment on the development of decision-making skills. It included standardized psychodiagnostic techniques, author's questionnaires, behavioral observation maps in VR scenarios, and semi-structured interviews. In particular, the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25) was used to assess psychological resilience, which allowed us to measure the ability to adapt, emotional self-regulation, and recovery from stress. Psychological resilience was also assessed using the Hardiness Survey, which consisted of three main components: commitment, control, and challenge. The level of anxiety was measured using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), which allowed us to assess situational and personal anxiety in the process of performing complex tasks. To determine the dominant coping strategies, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) was used, which differentiated problem-oriented, emotion-oriented, and unique coping strategies.
The author's Decision-Making under Pressure Questionnaire was used to assess decision-making skills. This questionnaire consisted of 12 scenario situations with time constraints and information uncertainty.
An important tool was the behavioral observation map during the execution of VR scenarios. Instructors assessed the participants on a five-point scale according to the following indicators:
Semi-structured interviews with study participants were aimed at analyzing their experience of interacting with the VR environment, their perception of the realism of the scenarios, and assessing the impact of immersive learning on the formation of professional skills.
Research procedure
The study took place over a period of four months. In particular, during the first stage, the organizers conducted initial psychodiagnostic testing of the participants. The survey was conducted in both group and individual formats. The average time to complete all instruments was 55–70 minutes.
During the second stage, the participants implemented training scenarios. The experimental group completed tasks in a VR environment using immersive simulations, while the control group worked with traditional training scenarios. Each scenario was evaluated by two independent instructors.
At the third stage, qualitative interviews were conducted with the participants and instructors. The sample for the interview was formed according to the principle of maximum variability. The duration of the interview was from 25 to 40 minutes.
Data analysis
Quantitative data were analyzed using the SPSS 28 statistical package.
At the first stage, data cleaning, checking for omissions, detecting outliers, and testing for normal distribution (Shapiro–Wilk test) were organized. To assess the reliability of the scales, Cronbach’s α coefficients were calculated (critical value α ≥ 0.70).
Subsequently, descriptive statistics were calculated. Therefore, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationships between variables. With its help, the relationships between:
Independent samples t-tests were used to compare experimental and control groups. Regression analysis was also conducted to determine the main predictors of decision-making effectiveness in the VR environment.
Qualitative interview data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method, which consisted of coding significant fragments of text, forming thematic categories, and summarizing the results. The integration of quantitative and qualitative results made it possible to formulate recommendations for the use of immersive educational technologies in professional training of specialists.
To summarize the logic of the experimental design and clearly present the differences between the training conditions, the main elements of the study were systematized. Table 2 presents the structure of the experimental design, which reflected the features of the organization of the training process in the experimental and control groups.
Table 2.
Experimental Design of the Study (Experimental Group vs Control Group)