Simulation-based training in transitions from school to workplace learning

The article concerns the impact of simulation-based training (SBT) on students’ transition from school-based to workplace-based training in Danish social and healthcare programmes. Denmark has a dual system of vocational education and training, and these transitions are associated with significant dropout. To facilitate the students’ transition, teachers and trainers developed a five-day SBT course conducted in workplaces (care homes). An affiliated research project studied the impact of SBT on how students experienced this transition. The data included interviews with groups of 4-6 students at each of 12 care homes at the end of the SBT. Furthermore, two surveys were conducted: one at the end of SBT and one at the end of the entire period of workplace-based training (20 weeks). These surveys sought to compare perceptions of the transition and the workplace-based training between students who had participated in SBT and students who had not (control group). The analysis was based on 89 responses to the first survey and 52 responses to the second survey. The interviews showed that the students were enthusiastic about SBT, highlighting that it had supported their transition by increasing their self-confidence, understanding of theoretical knowledge and of the relationship between theory and practice, reflection skills, and sense of belonging. However, the survey responses found no systematic impact of SBT on the students’ perceptions of these factors. Four explanations are suggested for the divergence between the findings based on interview and survey data: 1. The duration of SBT is too short to have an impact; 2. At the time for answering the surveys the students were preoccupied with performing in the workplace-based training and SBT faded into the background; 3. The SBT students are disappointed with the social community in the ordinary training compared to SBT, and 4. the survey did not directly address SBT.