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Midwifery Lecturers' and Students' Experiences of Using Virtual Reality as a Teaching and Learning Tool: Hermeneutic Phenomenological Research

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Thesis embargoed until 10th December 2026(3.24 MB)

Date

2026

Authors

Welfare, Melanie

Supervisor

Crowther, Susan
Frost, Jane

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Doctor of Philosophy

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

Using hermeneutic phenomenology informed by Heidegger (1927/1962) and Gadamer (1960/2013) as both a philosophical stance and methodology, this research has explored the experiences of midwifery educators and students who have used virtual reality as a teaching and learning tool. This thesis presents three distinctly different but interconnected studies which move beyond evaluating virtual reality as a technological innovation to explore the more nuanced aspects of the participants’ experiences by examining phenomena revealed through their stories. A systematic qualitative literature review established the foundation for this research by synthesising current literature regarding the use of virtual reality in midwifery education. Three themes emerged: being safe, the learning experience, and learning limitations, which together identified both the emerging potential of VR and significant gaps in understanding how it is experienced by participants. Following ethical approval by Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee, eight midwifery students and seven midwifery educators were recruited from one educational institute in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Guided by the principles of hermeneutic phenomenology, data was generated through two complementary methods: an educators’ focus group and individual student interviews. The data was analysed through an iterative process which moved consistently between the parts and the whole of participants’ crafted stories until phenomena emerged. Student participants described virtual reality as a space that was simultaneously safe, supportive, and deeply revealing. They valued the opportunity to practise, make mistakes, and inhabit the role of a midwife without the fear of causing harm to a real person. Students’ stories revealed the phenomenon of Seen and Unseen Pressure. The hidden burdens carried by midwifery students during their education, were surfaced and revealed through their experiences within virtual reality. From a Heideggerian (1927/1962) perspective, virtual reality placed students within the world of midwifery practice where they encountered the expectations, uncertainties, and responsibilities they are “thrown” into, allowing them to engage with their emerging professional identities. Educators’ experiences demonstrated how virtual reality’s pedagogical potential is realised through their relational presence with students, which allows them to respond in supportive ways when the pressures students experience are revealed. The emergent phenomenon “Expert Lens versus Novice Wonder” demonstrated how educators instinctively inhabit virtual reality as practitioners, with the critical implication being that while their own expert lens is invaluable, their presence as experts must not overshadow the pedagogical potential of virtual reality for students. Alongside this, educational institutes must ensure that the transformative potential of virtual reality is sustainably embedded within the curriculum, honouring educators’ time by providing a comprehensive programme of education and ongoing support. The synthesis of the three studies shows that virtual reality is more than a technological innovation; rather it becomes a relational, interpretive, and identity-shaping environment. Virtual reality’s promise lies not in its realism but in its ability to open a space of “becoming,” for students and educators alike. A hermeneutic-experiential pedagogical framework for the use of VR in midwifery education is proposed. The central element of the framework is the virtual reality immersive encounter, with three interrelated elements; professional becoming, interpretive meaning-making, and relational pedagogy, it offers a theoretically grounded model reframing virtual reality as a powerful pedagogical space that helps to develop confident, reflective, and relationally attuned midwifery practitioners.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/21352

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Doctoral Theses