Immersive Virtual Reality for occupational track safety training. A quasi-experimental field study comparing six training formats

Abstract

Conventional occupational safety training is often criticized for weak transfer of declarative knowledge into workplace behavior. Immersive virtual reality (iVR) has been proposed as a promising complement, yet comparisons of different iVR formats remain scarce in real occupational settings. This quasi-experimental field study (N = 127) compared six training formats—training-as-usual (control), desktop single-player, iVR single-player, iVR multi-player, iVR multi-player with retrospective perspective change (RPC), and iVR classroom—each embedded as an add-on to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) track safety course (SstA). The primary outcome was achieving the full score on a safety-critical checklist exam item; secondary outcomes were technology acceptance (TAM: perceived usefulness, ease of use, behavioral intention) and five practice-oriented items. Binomial logistic regression showed a significant overall model (χ2(5) = 15.80, p = 0.007): participants in all five digital conditions had significantly higher odds of achieving the full score than participants in training-as-usual (OR = 5.13–14.62). Kruskal–Wallis tests revealed significant group differences on all three TAM scales and three practice-oriented items, with the most favorable descriptive pattern observed for iVR classroom. The observed pattern suggests that instructional configuration may play an important role alongside technological immersion in occupational iVR training. However, given the quasi-experimental design and the presence of residual confounding, these findings should be interpreted as associative rather than causal.