Although counseling in the context of parent-teacher conferences is one of the core tasks in the daily work of teachers (Hertel, 2009; KMK, 2022;), there is hardly any preparation for this in the university context beyond theoretical discussion. Recent technological developments, in particular virtual reality (VR), offer an innovative way to provide student teachers with a realistic and active practice opportunity for conducting parent-teacher conferences. To date, however, the full potential of VR in practicing such situations in the context of teacher education has not been studied. Additionally, potential mediating factors such as anxiety, self-efficacy expectations, or motivational aspects have not been subject to research thus far.

In a recent pilot study with n = 15 student teachers, we found that participants were highly motivated to use VR as a practice opportunity, gained counselling competence, and showed a decrease in task-related anxiety over the course of the VR training, (Knabbe et al., 2024).

To better understand the processes underlying VR-based trainings, we ran our main study to empirically test and extend the “Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning” (CAMIL; Makransky & Petersen, 2021). This model theoretically asserts that presence and agency are the general psychological affordances of learning in VR. Our present research aims at comparing and evaluating the effectiveness of a highly immersive VR training in the parent-teacher conference scenario with a chat-based training program. First, by constructing a theoretical model of social skill development in immersive environments, that is, extending the CAMIL, but second, also by testing the model and comparing the learning effects to a strong control condition. A follow-up survey is conducted after four months to investigate the long-term effect of the training.

The study follows on a pre-post intervention design and examines the self-assessed effects of a newly developed VR training course for parent-teacher conferences on self-efficacy expectations regarding counseling conferences in the school context and anxiety about parent-teacher conferences.

We currently run the main study and aim at a total sample of N = 110. Participants are student teachers at the Bachelor or Master level of the Leuphana University Lüneburg. Most of the participants have no previous experience with VR, and only a few report previous experiences with parent-teacher conferences.

In preparation, the students were given a case vignette with information about the parental interview to be conducted. They were randomly assigned to either (1) a 3D 180° virtual classroom using VR glasses or (2) the control condition using chats. In both conditions, the participants had to conduct a problem-oriented consultation with a parent figure. The experimental condition in VR was video-based, and the virtual parent figure, who was portrayed by a professional actress, was controlled by the experimenter by selecting the appropriate video. The control condition based on a chat interface for the participants, which was placed on a laptop in front of them. Participants received chat messages from the parent figure and replied in writing. The questions from the parent figure were phrased identically to the VR condition. A pre- and post-survey of the students was conducted to answer the research question about the effects of the training. In both questionnaires, self-assessment was collected, including on self-efficacy beliefs (De Coninck et al., 2020) and anxiety (McCarthy and Goffin, 2004).

We have been conducting the study with an aimed N = 110 participants since the winter semester of 2023/24. In the presentation, the results of the main study will be presented and the effects of VR training on particpants’ counseling self-efficacy beliefs and anxiety will be reported.