The impact of alternative high-fidelity simulation methods on learner achievement, attitude, and development cost

This mixed-method research focused on simulation models and their affect on learner achievement and attitude and on costs associated with the development of the simulations. There is a paucity of research related to specific simulation methods used to develop computer-based simulations. There are also few relationships presented in the research between simulation design methods and learner achievement and attitude. Therefore, this research explored these three areas of interest. An experimental design was created to determine which treatment group performed the best on an achievement measure. Each treatment group received a set of training simulations created using different simulation design methodologies. Training simulation development costs were controlled in those high-fidelity simulation design methodologies with special focus on audio cues. The simulation design methods were no-audio stimuli design method, inside-audio stimuli design method, inside- and outside audio stimuli design method, and building-audio stimuli design method. The simulations developed using these methods were presented to U.S. Marines as part of their training on emergency tank evacuation procedures. Achievement scores, attitude data, and cost data were collected. The results of the cost analysis showed little difference in cost data when both the training environment and the testing environment were simulated. There were more differences in cost using only training environment data. While there were no statistical significances in achievement, it appears that the building-audio stimuli design method might be a more cost-effective method to use in terms of simulation development. The successive approximation approach of the building-audio stimuli design method supports earlier research by Skinner (1974) and Hoskisson (1975) and later research by Allen (2006). Lastly, it was difficult to find costing implications for the qualitative attitude data, except to state that the U.S. Marines training staff felt that the simulation design methods supported the Marines' learning styles.