Digital simulator for developing marketing competencies in students with mild intellectual disabilities: a systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v5i4.1133Keywords:
digital simulation; intellectual disability; special education; virtual reality; vocational competency; vocational trainingAbstract
Vocational preparation for students with intellectual disabilities requires safe and repeatable work-related practice. The objective was to analyse evidence published from 2022 to 2026 on digital simulators intended to develop marketing competencies and other related vocational skills among students with mild intellectual disabilities. A systematic review was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and SciELO, while risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2 and ROBINS-I. Because participants, interventions, and outcomes differed, the results were integrated through narrative synthesis. The search identified 40 records, of which 12 were duplicates and 28 continued to screening; subsequently, 25 were excluded by title and abstract. Three complete studies were assessed, one was excluded because it did not examine a specific commercial or vocational competency, and two formed the final synthesis. Blended instruction using virtual reality improved knowledge of the car-detailing sequence, whereas virtual barista intervention increased job performance and preserved part of the transfer to a real café. Risk of bias raised some concerns in one study and was serious in the other. It should be noted that neither study directly assessed sales, marketing, or customer-service competencies. Digital simulators may support procedural vocational learning; however, the available evidence does not establish their specific effectiveness for developing marketing competencies among students with mild intellectual disabilities.
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