Desktop Virtual Reality for Public First‐Aid Training: Effects on Cognitive Load and Learning Outcomes
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: ABSTRACT Background Public first‐aid education must help learners apply procedural knowledge in emergencies, yet conventional instruction offers limited contextualized practice. Desktop virtual reality (DVR) can provide interactive, scenario‐based learning, but evidence regarding its effects on cognitive load and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) knowledge is inconclusive. Objectives Our study compared DVR‐based and video‐based CPR instruction in terms of learners' cognitive load and performance on CPR knowledge. Methods Eighty‐four university students were randomly allocated to DVR or video instruction. Complete‐case analyses included 64 participants (32 per condition) with valid cognitive‐load, pre‐test and post‐test data. Between‐group differences were examined using two‐sided independent‐samples t ‐tests and Mann–Whitney U tests; interviews with six DVR participants were analysed deductively to contextualize their experiences. Results and Conclusions The DVR group reported lower overall cognitive load ( p = 0.010) and lower scores on both prespecified cognitive load dimensions, cognitive behavioural assessment ( p = 0.033) and cognitive efficiency assessment ( p = 0.015), than the video group. At post‐test, DVR participants performed better on the four‐item CPR detail set ( p = 0.038), while the groups did not differ on basic items. The tested DVR condition, which combined signal guidance, spatial visualization, multisensory stimulation, self‐paced progression, scenario simulation and prompt feedback, was associated with lower reported cognitive load and better performance on the CPR detail knowledge than video instruction, while performance on the basic knowledge did not differ. These findings support the use of DVR as a structured supplement to CPR instruction, enabling learners to rehearse spatial and procedural relations at their own pace and receive prompt feedback. They also suggest that designers should evaluate guidance, navigation, feedback and scenario features as an integrated instructional configuration.
DOI: 10.1002/jcal.70340
Authors: Yang Wang, Jiaqi Li
Institution: Nanjing Normal University
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7221774450