Virtual Reality and Lived-Experience Speakers in Homelessness Education: A Mixed-Methods Study of Medical Sciences Students' Empathy and Attitudes Toward People Experiencing Homelessness

NCT07727447 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 122903
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 74
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to learn whether a virtual reality experience about homelessness, used together with talks from people with lived experience of homelessness, can improve empathy and attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness in undergraduate medical sciences students. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Do students who complete a virtual reality experience before hearing from lived-experience speakers show greater improvement in attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness than students who hear from the speakers without prior virtual reality exposure?
• Do students who complete a virtual reality experience before hearing from lived-experience speakers report greater engagement with the speaker talks than students who hear from the speakers without prior virtual reality exposure?
• How do students describe the distinct value of virtual reality and lived-experience speakers in supporting empathy development and understanding of homelessness?
• How does the order of virtual reality and lived-experience speaker activities influence student learning? The study hypothesis was that students who completed the virtual reality experience before hearing from the lived-experience speakers would show greater improvement in attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness, as measured by the Attitudes Toward Homelessness Inventory and the Health Professionals' Attitudes Toward the Homeless Inventory, than students who heard from the speakers without prior virtual reality exposure. The study also hypothesized that students who completed the virtual reality experience first would report greater engagement with the lived-experience speaker talks. Researchers compared two groups of undergraduate medical sciences students. One group completed the virtual reality experience before hearing from guest speakers with lived experience of homelessness. The other group heard from the guest speakers first and completed the virtual reality experience after the post-intervention survey. Researchers compared the groups to see whether completing virtual reality before the speaker session led to greater changes in students' empathy, perspective-taking, and attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness. Participants completed online surveys before and after the educational sessions. Students were invited to take part in focus group discussions about the virtual reality experience, guest speakers, empathy, and learning

Conditions

Empathy Towards People Experiencing Homelessness; Education; Education, Medical, Undergraduate

Keywords

Education; Empathy; Perspective-taking; Homelessness; Virtual reality; Lived experience

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness

  Change from baseline to post-intervention in attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness, measured using selected items from the Attitudes Toward Homelessness Inventory and the Health Professionals' Attitudes Toward the Homeless Inventory. Responses were collected on ordered Likert scales, with negatively worded items reverse-coded so that higher scores reflected more positive attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness.

  Baseline and 4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Empathic concern

  Baseline

• Perspective-taking

  Baseline

• Student-reported impact of VR on understanding speaker talks

  4 weeks

Other Outcomes (2)

• Student-reported change in perspective toward homelessness

  Up to 6 weeks

• Perceived effect of intervention order on learning

  Up to 6 weeks

Study Arms (2)

VR Before Lived-Experience Speakers

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm completed the We Live Here virtual reality simulation before attending the lived-experience speaker session. The simulation placed students in the perspective of a person experiencing homelessness and was intended to provide an immersive introduction to the topic. One week later, participants heard from guest speakers with lived experience of homelessness. Participants completed baseline and post-intervention surveys assessing empathy, perspective-taking, and attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness, and were invited to participate in focus group discussions.

Behavioral: We Live Here virtual reality homelessness perspective-taking simulation; Behavioral: Lived-experience speaker session on homelessness

Speaker Session With Delayed VR Exposure

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm attended the lived-experience speaker session without prior exposure to the We Live Here virtual reality simulation. The speaker session included guest speakers who shared personal experiences of homelessness and responded to student questions. Participants completed baseline and post-intervention surveys assessing empathy, perspective-taking, and attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness. After the post-intervention survey, participants completed the We Live Here virtual reality simulation as delayed exposure, so that all students had access to the same educational activity. Participants were also invited to participate in focus group discussions.

Behavioral: We Live Here virtual reality homelessness perspective-taking simulation; Behavioral: Lived-experience speaker session on homelessness

Interventions

We Live Here virtual reality homelessness perspective-taking simulation BEHAVIORAL

Participants completed We Live Here, an immersive virtual reality simulation designed to support perspective-taking about homelessness. The simulation was created in collaboration with a person with lived experience of homelessness and places the user in the perspective of "Rocky," a woman experiencing homelessness. The experience begins with a voiceover describing how Rocky came to experience homelessness after job loss. Participants are then placed inside her tent during a police operation at an encampment and are asked to interact with personal items, such as photographs, a radio, and a music box, that provide information about Rocky's life, relationships, memories, and sense of home. The simulation is intended to help students visualize and emotionally engage with the circumstances, losses, and human experiences associated with homelessness before or after hearing from lived-experience speakers.

Speaker Session With Delayed VR Exposure; VR Before Lived-Experience Speakers

Lived-experience speaker session on homelessness BEHAVIORAL

Participants attended a classroom-based session with guest speakers who had lived experience of homelessness. The speakers shared personal narratives about how they came to experience homelessness, the challenges and barriers they faced, how they were treated while experiencing homelessness, and their experiences with housing, education, stigma, and support systems. Students had the opportunity to listen to the speakers' stories and ask questions. The session was intended to deepen students' understanding of homelessness, challenge misconceptions, and support empathy toward people experiencing homelessness.

Speaker Session With Delayed VR Exposure; VR Before Lived-Experience Speakers

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Students must be enrolled in MedSci 4995E and be able to put on and experience the VR simulation.

You may not qualify if:

• Students with visual/audio impairments may not be able to participate in the VR experience.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Western University: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Western Ontario

London, Ontario, Canada

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: This study used a parallel-group design with a delayed virtual reality exposure for one group. Students in both groups heard from lived-experience speakers and completed pre- and post-intervention surveys. The primary comparison was between students who completed the virtual reality simulation before the speaker session and students who heard from the speakers without prior virtual reality exposure. After the post-intervention survey, the comparison group also completed the virtual reality simulation so that all students had access to the same educational activity. Because the main quantitative comparison occurred before the delayed virtual reality exposure, the study is best classified as parallel rather than crossover, although it includes a delayed-exposure component.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 20, 2026
• First Posted: July 27, 2026
• Study Start: September 9, 2025
• Primary Completion: November 14, 2025
• Study Completion: November 14, 2025
• Last Updated: July 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Locations

CA (1)