Where salience goes beyond authenticity

Abstract: This meta-analysis builds on and extends Chernikova, Heitzmann, Stadler, et al.’s (2020) meta-analysis on simulation-based learning in higher education by summarizing the findings of 214 empirical studies. The main focus of the current meta-analysis was to investigate the role of prior knowledge and design features, namely (1) the authenticity of simulated scenarios (as both functional correspondence with a real task and a physical resemblance of the environment) and (2) the salience of relevant information in moderating the effects of simulation-based learning on facilitating complex skills in higher education. The analysis identified that the salience of relevant information contributes significantly to explaining the variation in the effectiveness of simulation-based learning environments. We conclude that authenticity and salience can be assessed independently of each other, and both can be considered important design features in creating effective simulation-based learning environments to meet the needs of learners with different levels of prior knowledge.