Cognitive interviewing as a method to inform questionnaire design and validity - Immersive Technology Evaluation Measure (ITEM) for healthcare education

Research of immersive technology in education is rapidly expanding with potential to educate future students in healthcare disciplines. Despite increasing literature there is a lack of validated instruments to investigate the effects of these technologies. Cognitive interviewing is a valuable evaluation method to check comprehension of a measure and was applied to a new measure of user experience of immersive technology for healthcare education (ITEM). A 5 domain self-reported measure of: immersion, intrinsic motivation, cognitive load, system usability, and debrief. Prior to the interview 9 participants were allocated to augmented reality and virtual reality educational activities. Verbal probing and think aloud techniques through semi-structured cognitive interviews were conducted. The ITEM was found to have high content validity index scores and relationships between domains were further explored through qualitative analysis. The results indicate high clarity of understanding for those completing the ITEM and supports future research as part of an ongoing validation process.