doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.10.2719
A VR-based Method for Observing Caregiver Intervention Timing under Standardized Childcare Conflict Scenes
Shigeru Owada1,*
,
Kokone Sato1,* ,
Shunsuke Kikuchi2 ,
Hidenori Aoki1,* ,
Momoko Nakatani2 ,
Yuki Taoka3 ,
Tetsuhito Sakata4 ,
Midori Takahashi5 ,
Mikako Ishibashi6
- 1Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc., Research Lab., Tokyo, Japan
- 2School of Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- 3School of Environment and Society, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- 4Department of Child Studies, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University, Tokyo, Japan
- 5Graduate Course in Clinical Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan
- 6Department of Psychology and Humanities, College of Sociology, Edogawa University, Tokyo, Japan
- Manuscript receivedJanuary 16, 2026
- revisedFebruary 26, 2026
- acceptedApril 23, 2026
- publishedOctober 16, 2026
Abstract
Childcare practice is highly context-dependent and difficult to replicate, making it challenging to observe the behavior of multiple caregivers under standardized conditions. This study proposes a Virtual Reality (VR)-based methodological framework in which a virtual nursery environment was developed where caregivers experience conflict situations involving young children, and their intervention behavior is systematically observed using a head-mounted display. Twenty-nine caregivers participated in an initial questionnaire-based profiling phase, followed by VR-based intervention tasks. The results indicate that the VR environment can capture substantial individual differences in the timing of caregiver interventions under controlled conditions. Exploratory analyses further suggest that caregiver profiles—such as beliefs about child-initiated problem solving and perceived workplace stress—were associated with variation in intervention timing; for example, lower perceived workplace stress was associated with later intervention timing (Nursery Teacher’s Stress Scale (NTSS): Workplace Relationships and Lack of Time; |r|> 0.45, p < 0.05). Furthermore, not only intervention timing but also active visual exploration (head rotation) showed a moderate association with a core pedagogical belief (Social Conflict Inventory (SCI): Facilitation, valuing child self-resolution) (r > 0.43, p = 0.02). These results suggest that the VR system can capture an important, yet practically underexplored, dimension of deliberate non-immediate intervention skill valued in pedagogical standards. This VR-based framework provides a foundational method for objective behavioral observation, pointing toward future large-scale validation studies and the development of VR-supported professional development programs. However, the sample size in this study is limited, with biases such as in years of experience and the presence or absence of compensation; therefore, statistically significant results should be interpreted as purely exploratory associations. Furthermore, it should be noted that standardizing the experience in this way inherently creates a critical trade-off with the ecological validity of the scenes.
Keywords
- childcare
- virtual reality
- caregiver
- intervention timing
- Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)
How to Cite
Shigeru Owada, Kokone Sato, Shunsuke Kikuchi, Hidenori Aoki, Momoko Nakatani, Yuki Taoka, Tetsuhito Sakata, Midori Takahashi, and Mikako Ishibashi, "A VR-based Method for Observing Caregiver Intervention Timing under Standardized Childcare Conflict Scenes," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 16, no. 10, pp. 2631-2644, 2026. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.10.2719
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).