VR physiology laboratory competency questionnaire validated in undergraduate students

A 26-item self-report questionnaire developed to assess transversal competencies in VR-supported undergraduate physiology laboratories showed strong internal consistency and a four-factor structure in a validation sample of 58 students. The study reports favorable psychometric performance for the instrument within a single physiology educational laboratory context, rather than evidence that virtual reality instruction improved students’ knowledge or practical performance. The four targeted competency domains were conceptual understanding, evidence-informed decision-making, operation of information and communication technology, and application to practice.

Researchers followed a multi-phase development and validation process that combined expert judgment using Aiken’s V, a pilot study involving 322 students, and a final psychometric analysis. The questionnaire was used in an undergraduate physiology course in which VR-supported laboratory sessions enabled students to explore four physiological systems: gas transport, cardiovascular function, muscle contraction, and renal function and micturition. Its purpose was to measure broad competencies associated with immersive learning environments, not mastery of specific physiological content.

After refinement, the 26-item instrument demonstrated excellent sampling adequacy, with a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of 0.966, and very high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.993. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors accounting for 76.7% of the total variance, consistent with the questionnaire’s four targeted competency domains. Confirmatory factor analysis then supported the proposed structural model, producing a comparative fit index of 0.903, a Tucker-Lewis index of 0.891, and a root mean square error of approximation of 0.086.

These results support the internal structure and consistency of the refined questionnaire in the tested sample. Additional psychometric indicators also met the criteria reported by the researchers. Composite reliability exceeded 0.89 for every factor, while average variance extracted values were above 0.50, providing evidence of convergent validity.

Discriminant validity was supported because heterotrait-monotrait ratios for all construct pairs were below 0.85. Together, these findings suggest that the questionnaire can support score-based inferences about transversal competency development in the physiology laboratory setting where it was developed. They do not, by themselves, establish that self-reported competency translates into better laboratory practice, stronger physiological understanding, or improved educational outcomes.

The scope of the validation is a central limitation. The evidence applies exclusively to the physiology educational laboratory context in which the instrument was created, and the final psychometric analysis involved 58 students. The researchers state that use in other disciplines or institutions should be supported by independent psychometric validation in those settings.

The supplied article is an open-access early-sharing version of accepted, peer-reviewed research and notes that further editorial changes may appear in the final version of record. Its central result is therefore narrower than a claim about VR’s educational effectiveness: in this undergraduate physiology context, the 26-item instrument showed a coherent four-factor structure and strong reliability, while the reported analysis did not demonstrate that VR-supported instruction caused better student performance.

Subject of Research: Psychometric validation of a competency questionnaire for VR-supported undergraduate physiology laboratories

Article Title: Design and validation of a questionnaire to measure competency development in VR‑supported undergraduate physiology labs

Article References: Cabrera-Duffaut, A., Iglesias-Rodríguez, A., & Pinto-Llorente, A. M. (2026). Design and validation of a questionnaire to measure competency development in VR‑supported undergraduate physiology labs. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-09332-z

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-026-09332-z

Keywords: virtual reality, physiology education, competency assessment, questionnaire validation, undergraduate students, factor analysis, psychometrics, immersive learning, science education, Design, validation, questionnaire