Virtual Simulations to Educate Social Work Students About Domestic and Family Violence: A Scoping Review.

This scoping review systematically assesses and documents the landscape of immersive virtual simulation pedagogies used within social work education to teach students about domestic and family violence (DFV). The intent of this article is to map the existing methodologies, technologies, and pedagogi...

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Published in:Journal of Social Work Education Vol. 62; no. 2; pp. 257 - 275
Main Authors: Schaffer, Krystal L., Bryce, India R., Martin, Neil I., Lawrence, Jill E.
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Spring2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        10.1080/10437797.2025.2602741
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        atl: Virtual Simulations to Educate Social Work Students About Domestic and Family Violence: A Scoping Review.
      aug:
        au:
          Schaffer, Krystal L.
          Bryce, India R.
          Martin, Neil I.
          Lawrence, Jill E.
      su:
        Computer simulation
        Empathy
        Curriculum
        Social workers
        Abuse of older people
        Intimate partner violence
        Educational technology
        Decision making
        Confidence
        Students
        Professions
        Domestic violence
        Ability
        Storytelling
        Outcome-based education
        Experiential learning
        Training
        Social skills education
        Prevention of child abuse
        Anxiety prevention
        Risk assessment
        Safety
        Emotion regulation
        Reflection (Philosophy)
      sug:
        subj:
          Computer simulation
          Empathy
          Curriculum
          Social workers
          Abuse of older people
          Intimate partner violence
          Educational technology
          Decision making
          Confidence
          Students
          Professions
          Domestic violence
          Ability
          Storytelling
          Outcome-based education
          Experiential learning
          Training
          Social skills education
          Professional Organizations
          Prevention of child abuse
          Anxiety prevention
          Risk assessment
          Safety
          Emotion regulation
          Reflection (Philosophy)
      ab: This scoping review systematically assesses and documents the landscape of immersive virtual simulation pedagogies used within social work education to teach students about domestic and family violence (DFV). The intent of this article is to map the existing methodologies, technologies, and pedagogical strategies employed in virtual simulations to educate social work students about DFV. In doing so, this article demonstrates the different types of virtual simulations that are used to educate social work students about DFV, the types of knowledge and skills that they seek to address, and identifies how this has been evaluated. The key findings highlight that virtual simulations are useful in building student confidence, reducing anxiety, and providing tailored exposure to complex practice scenarios. Developing insights about what has been done, the strategies used to implement them, along with gaps and limitations of virtual simulation use are instrumental in shaping future design strategies. Each contribute to building a continuation of innovative approaches to enhance social workers' education about DFV.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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