Walking In Virtual Shoes: Can Creating Avatars In Social Virtual Reality Enhance Counseling Competence, Presence, Perspective Taking, Embodiment And Engagement?

Theoretical background: Research in social virtual reality (VR) suggests that avatar customization may enhance user engagement, embodiment, and perspective-taking through increased identification and presence. These processes are considered crucial for experiential learning and the development of interpersonal competencies in simulated environments. Methods: The study utilized a 2 (avatar condition: customizable vs. generic) x 2 (debriefing condition: moderated vs. self-guided) factorial design with repeated measures across three time points. 45 undergraduate students of educational science from a German university participated and were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Participants completed a 20-minute VR counseling session in a university laboratory using the Meta Quest 3 system and the Engage VR platform. Individuals in the customizable avatar condition created their own avatar prior to the VR session, while those in the generic avatar condition proceeded directly to the scenario. The present analysis focuses on the impact of avatar customization. Results: No significant effects of avatar customization were found on self-efficacy, counseling competence, embodiment, perspective-taking, presence or engagement. However, significant improvements in self-efficacy and counseling competence were observed across the three measurement time points, irrespective of avatar condition. Thus, hypotheses
regarding the superiority of customized avatars over generic avatars could not be supported.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that while avatar customization alone does not significantly impact the measured outcomes, VR scenarios can still effectively improve counseling competence and self-efficacy. This highlights the potential of VR for competence development but also points to the need for further research into the specific mechanisms such as presence or identification that mediate learning effects in virtual environments.