The Use of Mixed Reality Simulations in Teacher Education

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2023) | Viewed by 4607

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
College of Professional Education, Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX 76204, USA
Interests: educator recruitment; preparation; retention; partnerships; educator preparation program advocacy; accreditation and assessment; curriculum design
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To better prepare and equip teachers to remain in the field, intensive and extensive practice and training must be inclusive components of educator preparation programs (EPPs) so that teacher candidates can develop their academic and social-emotional pedagogical skills prior to entering a classroom (Luther and Peterson-Ahmad, 2022). Moreover, given the diversity of students in today’s schools, teacher candidates must also learn how to simultaneously utilize high-impact learning strategies that are both supportive and inclusive. One way that these skills can be fostered is by using mixed reality simulations. Mixed reality simulations can provide opportunities for teacher candidates to engage in and practice classroom strategies and techniques that support research-based pedagogy and can be combined with explicit feedback provided by course instructors and/or peers. Skills developed within a mixed-reality environment prior to working with children in a real classroom can not only improve the delivery of foundational teaching skills, but can also improve sense of self-efficacy and the provision of student feedback; all of which can be transferred into a real classroom setting. This Special Issue aims at disseminating current research that provides knowledge on how mixed reality simulations are used to support teacher candidates in EPPs to better support the individualized needs of students in an inclusive classroom.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Education Sciences.

Dr. Maria B. Peterson-Ahmad
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • mixed reality
  • simulation
  • virtual reality
  • augmented reality
  • teacher preparation
  • pre-service teacher
  • teacher candidate
  • educator preparation program

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2375 KiB  
Article
Using Mixed Reality to Support Inclusive Teaching Strategies in General and Special Education Preparation Programs
by Maria B. Peterson-Ahmad, Randa Keeley and Andrea Frazier
Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(11), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12110596 - 26 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2096
Abstract
Preparing teacher candidates to provide learning strategies that support the differentiated needs of students should be at the forefront of all educator preparation programs (EPPs). Teacher candidates must become fluid in providing strategies that promote students’ individualized academic and social–emotional growth as well [...] Read more.
Preparing teacher candidates to provide learning strategies that support the differentiated needs of students should be at the forefront of all educator preparation programs (EPPs). Teacher candidates must become fluid in providing strategies that promote students’ individualized academic and social–emotional growth as well as strategies that support effective collaboration to enhance student productivity across the school environment. This pilot study explored the use of mixed reality (e.g., Mursion) as a tool to support pre-service general and special education teacher preparation and improvement of self-efficacy related to student engagement and instructional strategies. This study collected data on teacher candidates’ pre-/post-self-efficacy and participant self-reflections from an EPP in the United States. The results of this study yielded ideas as to how EPPs can better support teacher candidate preparation using a mixed-reality platform, as data revealed participant increase in self-efficacy and gains in the use of student engagement and instructional strategies that supported the use of evidence-based and high-leverage practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Use of Mixed Reality Simulations in Teacher Education)
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17 pages, 782 KiB  
Article
Pre-Service Teachers’ Coping and Anxiety within Mixed-Reality Simulations
by Steven Anton, Jody S. Piro, Marcia A. B. Delcourt and Erik Gundel
Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(3), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12030146 - 2 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1813
Abstract
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 each pair of matched observations on both levels for both [...] Read more.
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 each pair of matched observations on both levels for both surveys, no statistically significant difference was found. Three finding statements emerged from the qualitative data: (a) participants experienced anxiety surrounding the mixed-reality simulations from many different sources, (b) participants’ anxiety surrounding the mixed-reality simulations manifested itself in a variety of ways, and (c) participants implemented different coping skills to attempt to manage the anxiety they were experiencing surrounding the mixed-reality simulations. A comparison of the quantitative and the qualitative findings revealed two mixed-method findings: (a) pre-service teachers can benefit from experiencing anxiety within a mixed-reality simulation setting and (b) mixed-reality simulations provide pre-service teachers with the opportunity to develop their coping skills. Implications for the potential benefits and impact of time spent within a mixed-reality simulator on pre-service teachers’ anxiety and adaptiveness in coping are addressed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Use of Mixed Reality Simulations in Teacher Education)
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