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ZenVR: Design Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Learning System for Meditation

R. Feinberg, U. Lakshmi, M. Golino, R. Arriaga

International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 29, 2022 DOI: 10.1145/3491102.3502035 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Mixed-methods study Longitudinal Peer reviewed
Sample size 36
Population Meditation novices, experts, and instructors
Duration 6-week longitudinal lab-based evaluation with a two-week follow-up self-managed practice
Topics Meditation
Keywords Education
Key points A virtual reality environment delivering an eight-lesson meditation curriculum led to statistically significant improvements in mindfulness and self-reported meditation ability among novice learners.

Abstract

Meditation has become a popular option to manage stress. Though studies examine technologies to assist in meditation, few explore how technology supports development of such skills for independent practice. From a two-phase mixed-methods study, we contribute learner-centered insights from 36 participants in a virtual reality environment designed to teach meditation skills to novices. In Phase I, we gathered affective and behavioral learner needs from 21 meditation novices, experts, and instructors to synthesize insights for learning. We then designed ZenVR: an interactive system to deliver an eight-lesson meditation curriculum to support learners’ progress. In Phase II, we conducted a 6-week longitudinal lab-based evaluation with 15 novice meditation learners. We found statistically significant improvements in mindfulness and self-reported meditation ability. Their insights from a self-managed practice, two weeks after the study ended, offered opportunities to understand how technology can be designed to offer progressive support without creating dependence in technology-mediated meditation practice.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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