{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]],"date-time":"2026-03-23T22:35:23Z","timestamp":1774305323300,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,21]],"date-time":"2025-08-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755734400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"University of Education Weingarten based on a LGFG Grant and an internal Starting Grant (VRLogo)"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Virtual Worlds"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Virtual Reality (VR) is a useful educational tool in healthcare, allowing students to practise and improve practical skills. In speech therapy (ST), the need to revise academic curricula to adapt them to university contexts and integrate them into advanced clinical practices has highlighted the need to analyse the use of VR in this sector. The objective of this scoping review was to investigate whether research has considered using VR to support ST students\u2019 training and highlight potential gaps in the literature. The study followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and was reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A protocol to conduct the current review was developed and registered on the Open Science Framework. The articles considered were retrieved from databases specialising in healthcare, computer science, and education, and were enhanced by results found with the help of AI-based tools. No constraints were applied and all study types were considered. Fourteen studies were included in the review and analysed under four core subjects: VR technology, ST context, training purposes, and main outcomes and assessment methods. The VR types identified in the studies were grouped into four categories, i.e., non-immersive VR (6\/14, 42.9%), immersive VR (5\/14, 35.7%), non-specified VR type (2\/14, 14.3%), and semi-immersive VR (1\/14, 7.1%). Most studies (5\/14, 35.7%) focused on clinical skills acquisition, others addressed communication and interpersonal collaborative skills (3\/14, 21.4%), while the remaining focused on person-centred care and awareness, clinical interviewing or reasoning skills, and performance knowledge (2\/14 each, 14.3%). VR is still in its early stages in ST education. Some recent studies suggest VR supports students\u2019 communication, interdisciplinary, and clinical skills. Although still limited in the context of ST education, the increasing affordability and ease of development of VR, along with its growing use in other healthcare fields, suggest that its underuse might be due to institutional barriers and lack of standardised frameworks. Overall, the findings suggest that VR offers promising support for experiential and skills-based learning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/virtualworlds4030037","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,21]],"date-time":"2025-08-21T08:02:44Z","timestamp":1755763364000},"page":"37","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Virtual Reality in Speech Therapy Students\u2019 Training: A Scoping Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Flavia","family":"Gentile","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Media Education and Visualisation Group (MEVIS), University of Education Weingarten, Kirchplatz 2, 88250 Weingarten, Germany"},{"name":"Speech and Language Therapy, University of Education Weingarten, Kirchplatz 2, 88250 Weingarten, Germany"}]},{"given":"Mascha","family":"Wanke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Speech and Language Therapy, University of Education Weingarten, Kirchplatz 2, 88250 Weingarten, Germany"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6474-3733","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wolfgang","family":"Mueller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Media Education and Visualisation Group (MEVIS), University of Education Weingarten, Kirchplatz 2, 88250 Weingarten, Germany"}]},{"given":"Evi","family":"Hochuli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Speech and Language Therapy, University of Education Weingarten, Kirchplatz 2, 88250 Weingarten, Germany"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2025, May 28). 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