The Impact of Virtual Simulation on Critical Thinking and Self-Directed Learning Ability of Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: Nursing educators increasingly use virtual simulation, making it important to assess it efficacy and applicability. Methods: A one-group pretesteposttest study was conducted to investigate the impact of virtual simulation on nursing students' critical thinking and self-directed learning abilities. The participants were 47 Korean nursing students, completing a 4-week course that included the use of vSim for Nursing. Results: No statistically significant differences emerged between the assessments on critical thinking or self-directed learning ability before and after virtual simulation. However, one subscale on self directed learning ability, "gathering resources for learning,'' showed statistical significance. Conclusions: Virtual simulation in its current format can be applied to Korean nursing students, but should be tailored to language appropriateness and the Korean clinical environment. (C) 2020 International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.