The most frequently reported challenge of virtual simulation teaching is its lack of realism, alongside operational complexity, English-language demands, cultural mismatch, and adverse physical reactions¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · qualitative r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-31 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2029: tool and model accuracy changes quickly

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Students most frequently cited lack of realism — inability to experience real emotional nuance or tactile sensation — leading some to believe VS cannot replace hands-on clinical practice. → Zhang Guoyong 2026 q2 i? Some students experienced adverse physical reactions during VR teaching, including nausea, dizziness, and vision problems, along with a risk of injury. → Zhang Guoyong 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Zhang Guoyong 2026¶

Zhang Guoyong, Sun Xianghong, Yang Dan, Shao Qinwen. (2026). Nursing students’ experiences in virtual simulation teaching: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Frontiers in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1863553

q2 · i? · qualitative · r2

Synthesized challenges finding from the meta-synthesis; students also reported complex operational procedures requiring extensive practice, English-language barriers (one scenario taking more than eight hours for a non-native speaker), cultural discrepancies in cases, and limited scenario diversity and graphics quality.

"The most frequently mentioned drawbacks of VS systems reported by students revolve around its perceived lack of “realism.”"

Zhang Guoyong 2026 (2)¶

Zhang Guoyong, Sun Xianghong, Yang Dan, Shao Qinwen. (2026). Nursing students’ experiences in virtual simulation teaching: a meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Frontiers in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1863553

q2 · i? · review · r3

Synthesized student-challenges finding; one student described sweating and feeling sick during VR use. The review notes physical side effects are associated with usage duration, visual design, and operating behaviors, citing prior work.

"Some students experienced adverse physical reactions after participating in VR teaching projects, such as nausea, dizziness, and vision problems, along with a risk of injury."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Safety — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Nursing students express needs for optimized VS technology and cases: more diverse scenarios, greater realism, multilingual support, flexible training content, and culturally contextualized cases — related
• Qualitative analysis found predominantly positive perceptions of iVR, with real-time feedback the most valued element and lack of realism the main concern — related
• Teachers identified cost, bulky headsets, Wi-Fi connectivity, and technical issues as key challenges to integrating VR into ML2 teaching — related
• Immersive technologies such as virtual reality should reinforce, not substitute, the original educational action — related
• A minority of nursing students report negative emotional responses to virtual simulation teaching, including fear, anxiety, and burnout — related
• The vast majority of nursing students report positive emotional experiences in virtual simulation teaching, including excitement, reduced psychological burden, and boosted confidence — reports the opposite
• A JBI meta-synthesis of 17 qualitative studies integrates nursing students' virtual simulation experiences into nine categories and four synthesized findings — a broader claim this one bears on
• Visual and auditory features of DPBL technologies are appreciated but tactile realism is limited — related
• Linguistic and cultural barriers are the most frequently mentioned challenges CALD students face in SBL — related
• VR communication training faces challenges of scenario realism, lack of clinical urgency in virtual characters, and language barriers — related
• Students performed not as well and experienced higher levels of anxiety if the language of the virtual simulation was not in their native language — related
• Realism of technology is a prominent enabler of critical thinking development in technologically supported SBL, mapped to the information quality dimension of the D&M IS Success Model — related