Immersive Training for Chemical Hazard Response: A Conceptual Model for Sustainable Development-Oriented Learning

The study aims to develop a conceptual model for immersive chemical hazard response training that explicitly addresses four core operational constraints: time pressure, uncertainty, teamwork, and procedural/psychomotor precision. The model responds to the need for collaborative and mistake-driven training approaches in high-risk contexts. A design-oriented, theory-informed approach is applied, combining the identification of training requirements characteristic of chemical hazard response and the formulation of core operational constraints shaping the training design with the specification of CAVE affordances, a four-dimensional instructional design framework (cognitive, emotional, social, and psychomotor), conceptual alignment of scenario components with selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 4, 11, and 16), and a preliminary expert-based content appraisal. Results are presented as a design-oriented outcome in the form of a conceptual framework, accompanied by an illustrative scenario-based instantiation and an expert-based content appraisal demonstrating internal coherence and practical plausibility (I-CVI = 0.80–1.00; S-CVI/Ave = 0.93). Conclusions indicate that the proposed model serves as a structured instructional and scenario-design reference for immersive chemical hazard response training, positioning CAVEs as pedagogically organised learning spaces rather than as standalone simulation technologies. Further implications relate to the transferability of the model to sustainability-oriented response training across other high-risk domains. Empirical evaluation of learning processes, performance outcomes, and transfer to operational practice is identified as a necessary next step for future research.