Author Information
Hsi-Min Tu, Teacher Chang Foundation, TaiwanYa-Ling Wang, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
Chih-Chung Chien, MEG Innovation Co., Ltd., Taiwan
Pei-Ching Ngu, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Yen-Ting Ho, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Huei-Tse Hou, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Abstract
The recommended teaching strategy for psychological counseling training involves providing repeated training opportunities; however, the practical cost of implementation is high. Digital virtual simulations and game-based learning are expected to provide highly motivating, repetitive, low-cost training opportunities that are not restricted by time or space. This study employs the situational scaffolding-oriented generative AI virtual characters module developed by our team to design an educational game aimed at training psychological counseling. Players assume the role of a psychological counselor and conduct counseling sessions with AI characters within a limited timeframe, with the goal of eliciting positive responses from the characters. The participants in this study were 19 individuals who had completed the reserve training program in Taiwan. The research findings indicate that participants exhibited high of flow and did not experience excessive anxiety. They found the experience enjoyable and user-friendly, expressing a willingness to repeat the activity. Additionally, qualitative feedback revealed that over half of participants believed the activity aided in understanding empathy skills (56%) and identifying emotional cues (61%). It was also perceived as more simulation than general-purpose GPT models (83%) and more focused on counseling (61%). Preliminary findings suggest, this study designed a generative AI-based psychological counseling training educational game can be used for repeated practice of counseling techniques at low cost, making it suitable as a pre-practice tool before real-person case simulations. Future improvements could include adding learning feedback and scaffolding guidance to enhance the usefulness and realism of the training.
Paper Information
Conference: ACE2025Stream: Design
This paper is part of the ACE2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Tu H., Wang Y., Chien C., Ngu P., Ho Y., & Hou H. (2026) Design and Preliminary Evaluation of a Psychological Counseling Training Game Using Generative AI Virtual Characters Based on Situational Learning as a Case Study ISSN: 2186-5892 – The Asian Conference on Education 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 269-275) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5892.2026.21
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5892.2026.21
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