TRAINING FUTURE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PRACTITIONERS IN CONDUCTING SIMULATED JOB INTERVIEWS THROUGH IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY: A FEASIBILITY STUDY

Massimo Marcuccio, Maria Elena Tassinari

Abstract


The study analyzes the feasibility of a university workshop for prospective employment service providers in administering simulated immersive virtual reality (IVR) interviews. Phenomenological analysis of post-simulation interviews with 18 female students, interpreted with Bowen's (2009) framework and the literature on IVR and situated learning, shows good feasibility, with recommendations for calibrated integration into educational pathways.


Keywords


immersive virtual reality, job interview, simulation, university, feasibility

Full Text:

PDF

References


Anfara Jr, V. A., & Mertz, N. T. (Eds.). (2015). Theoretical frameworks in qualitative research. Sage.

APA (American Psychiatric Association) (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Fift Edition. DSM-5. American Psychiatric Publishing.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman & Co.

Beti, R. A., Al-Khatib, F., & Cook, D. M. (2019). The efficacy of using virtual reality for job interviews and its effects on mitigating discrimination. In H. Unger, S. Sodsee & P. Meesad (Eds.). Recent Advances in Information and Communication Technology 2018 (pp. 43-52). Springer.

Biesta, G. (2013). The Beautiful Risk of Education. Paradigm Publishers.

Bowen, D. J., Kreuter, M., Spring, B., Cofta-Woerpel, L., Linnan, L., Weiner, D., Bakken, S., Kaplan, C. P., Squiers, L., Fabrizio, C., & Fernandez, M. (2009). How we design feasibility studies. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 36(5), 452–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2009.02.002

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage.

Bruner, J. (1990). Acts of meaning. Harvard University Press.

Campion, M. A., Palmer, D. K., & Campion, J. E. (1997). A review of structure in the selection interview. Personnel Psychology, 50(3), 655–702. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1997.tb00709.x

Carducci, B. J. (2009). Shyness: A bold new approach. HarperPerennial.

Cheek, J. M., & Buss, A. H. (1981). Shyness and sociability. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41(2), 330–339. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.2.330

Dipboye, R. L., Macan, T. H., & Shahani-Denning, C. (2012). The selection interview from the interviewer and applicant perspectives: Can’t have one without the other. In N. Schmitt (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of personnel assessment and selection (pp. 323–352). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199732579.013.0015

Downey, G., & Feldman, S. I. (1996). Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(6), 1327–1343. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.6.1327

Dubiel, A., Kamińska, D., Zwoliński, G., Ramić-Brkić, B., Agostini, D., & Zancanaro, M. (2025). Virtual reality for the training of soft skills for professional education: trends and opportunities. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-21. DOI: 10.1080/10494820.2025.2450634

Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Anchor Books.

Heimberg, R. G., Brozovich, F. A., & Rapee, R. M. (2014). A cognitive-behavioral model of social anxiety disorder. In P. M. DiBartolo & S. G. Hofmann, (Eds.). Social anxiety: clinical, developmental, and social perspectives (pp. 705-728). Elsevier.

Heinrich, P. (2017). When role-play comes alive: a theory and practice. Palgrave.

Juberg, M., Stoll, N., Goldin, P., & Bell, J. (2023). Investigating the feasibility and effects of an online mindfulness family caregiver training program. Mindfulness, 14(6), 1531-1541.

Kaplan, S. C., Levinson, C. A., Rodebaugh, T. L., Menatti, A., & Weeks, J. W. (2015). Social anxiety and the big five personality traits: The interactive relationship of trust and openness. Cognitive behaviour therapy, 44(3), 212-222. doi: 10.1080/16506073.2015.1008032

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.

Kostiainen, E., Ukskoski, T., Ruohotie-Lyhty, M., Kauppinen, M., Kainulainen, J., & Mäkinen, T. (2018). Meaningful learning in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 71, 66–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.12.009

Kourtesis, P., Collina, S., Doumas, L. A., & MacPherson, S. E. (2019). Validation of the virtual reality neuroscience questionnaire: maximum duration of immersive virtual reality sessions without the presence of pertinent adverse symptomatology. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 13, 417. Doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00417

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.

Leary, M. R. (1983). Social anxiousness: The construct and its measurement. Journal of Personality Assessment, 47(1), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4701_8

Levashina, J., Hartwell, C. J., Morgeson, F. P., & Campion, M. A. (2013). The structured employment interview: Narrative and quantitative review of the research literature. Personnel Psychology, 67(1), 241–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12052

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.

Luo, X., Wang, Y., Lee, L. H., Xing, Z., Jin, S., Dong, B., Hu, Y., Chen, Z. Yan, J. & Hui, P. (2024). Using a virtual reality interview simulator to explore factors influencing people’s behavior. Virtual Reality, 28(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-023-00934-5

Macan, T. (2009). The employment interview: A review of current studies and directions for future research. Human Resource Management Review, 19(3), 203-218. doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2009.03.006

Makransky, G., & Petersen, G. B. (2021). The cognitive-affective model of immersive learning (CAMIL): A theoretical research-based model of learning in immersive virtual reality. Educational Psychology Review, 33, 937–958. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09586-2

Makransky, G., & Petersen, G. B. (2023). The theory of immersive collaborative learning (TICOL). Educational Psychology Review, 35(4), 103. doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09822-5

Mason, L. (2006). Psicologia dell'apprendimento e dell'istruzione. il Mulino.

Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Sage.

McGivney, E., Forshaw, T., Medeiros, R., Sun, M., & Grotzer, T. (2024). Addressing emotions and beliefs for vulnerable jobseekers with virtual reality. Education and Information Technologies, 29(5), 5541-5570. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11923-1

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. Sage.

Mulders, M., Buchner, J., & Kerres, M. (2020). A framework for the use of immersive virtual reality in learning environments. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 15(24), 208-224. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i24.16615

Oliveira, M., Almeida, R. S. D., Veloso Gomes, P., Donga, J., Marques, A., Teixeira, B., & Pereira, J. (2024). Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety: A Pilot Study. http://hdl.handle.net/2183/41108

Radianti, J., Majchrzak, T. A., Fromm, J., & Wohlgenannt, I. (2020). A systematic review of immersive virtual reality applications for higher education: Design elements, lessons learned, and research agenda. Computers & education, 147, 103778. doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103778

Roulin, N., Bangerter, A., & Levashina, J. (2014). Interviewers' perceptions of impression management in employment interviews. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29(2), 141-163. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-10-2012-0295

Schubert, T., Friedmann, F., & Regenbrecht, H. (2001). The experience of presence: Factor analytic insights. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 10(3), 266-281. DOI:10.1162/105474601300343603

Sfard, A. (1998). On two metaphors for learning and the dangers of choosing just one. Educational Researcher, 27(2), 4–13. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X027002004

Shah, S. F. A., Mazhar, T., Shahzad, T., Ghadi, Y. Y., & Hamam, H. (2024). Integrating educational theories with virtual reality: enhancing engineering education and VR laboratories. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 10, 101207. 10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101207

Skulmowski, A. (2023). Ethical issues of educational virtual reality. Computers & Education: X Reality, 2, 100023. doi.org/10.1016/j.cexr.2023.100023

Slater, M., & Wilbur, S. (1997). A framework for immersive virtual environments (FIVE): Speculations on the role of presence in virtual environments. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 6(6), 603–616. https://doi.org/10.1162/pres.1997.6.6.603

Stebbins, R. A. (2001). Exploratory Research in the Social Sciences. Sage.

Ueda, F., Fujimoto, Y., Sawabe, T., Kanbara, M., & Kato, H. (2024). The influence of perspective on VR job interview training. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 5, 1506070. https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2024.1506070

Zhao, J., Zhang, X., Lu, Y., Wu, X., Zhou, F., Yang, S., Wang, L., Wu, X., & Fei, F. (2022). Virtual reality technology enhances the cognitive and social communication of children with autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1029392. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1029392




DOI: https://doi.org/10.32043/gsd.v9i1.1415

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 ITALIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH EDUCATION, SPORT AND INCLUSIVE DIDACTICS

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Italian Journal of Health Education, Sports and Inclusive Didactics 
ISSN printed: 2532-3296