| dc.description.abstract | The extent to which an intervention is perceived as socially valid significantly influences whether the intervention is selected, implemented, and maintained (Kern & Manz, 2004). Social skill interventions and evidence-based practices are often ranked with low social validity by adolescents (McCoy et al., 2016). Interventions delivered through virtual reality (VR) report increased social validity with this population due to life-like features improving motivation and engagement (Hew & Cheung, 2010; Mikropoulos & Natsis, 2011). Despite evidence of positive feelings, there is limited research on the effectiveness of VR-delivered instruction for building social competence in students.This study utilized a randomized control trial (RCT) to investigate whether a VR-based social skill intervention, Virtual reality Opportunities to Integrate Social Skills (VOISS), could be as effective as an evidence-based intervention, the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) at improving the expressive communication knowledge and skill application of middle school students. The study also sought to understand student social validity ratings (i.e., acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility) of the VR intervention (VOISS) versus the PEERS intervention.Participants within ten classrooms in four states were randomly assigned to VOISS (N=60) and PEERS (N=60). In both conditions, participants experienced an estimated 300 minutes of the intervention spread out over one to four months. Using the norm-referenced Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-5 Pragmatic Profile (CELF-5 PP) and a knowledge-based assessment, participants were assessed pre and post-intervention to determine social communication skill acquisition and application. All participants were also given an adapted Children’s Intervention Rating Profile (CIRP), the Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM), and the Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM) to determine their ratings of each intervention’s acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness. Results indicate that a VR intervention (VOISS) has the potential to provide an effective and socially valid means of delivering social communication instruction to middle school students. | |
