Developing a framework of kitchen safety using VR technology for TVET institutions’ hospitality programs

Abstract

Kitchen safety in the industry primarily focuses on food safety procedures to prevent contamination and disease transmission, often neglecting the safety of workers during food preparation. This oversight extends into the education perspective and focuses on students in hospitality programs at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. The hands-on educational style exposes students to various hazards, leading to concerns about student injuries if their safety knowledge is not effectively delivered by the trainers. To address these issues and enhance the delivery of kitchen safety knowledge, this research aims to develop a kitchen safety framework using Virtual Reality (VR) tailored for TVET institutions' hospitality programs. Embracing an innovative educational approach, this framework seeks to integrate technology to improve kitchen safety training. The study adopts the Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate (ADDIE) and Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) models to develop the framework, with four main objectives: (1) to identify the effectiveness of existing kitchen safety education in TVET programs, (2) to conduct a needs analysis for designing a VR-based educational framework for kitchen safety in TVET hospitality programs, (3) to formulate a VR-based kitchen safety framework for these programs, and (4) to validate this framework. A Design and Development Research (DDR) approach is used, starting with qualitative interviews with 12 informants, including TVET trainers, Safety and Health Officers (SHO), IT experts, and instructional designers (ID). The validation process involves 20 participants responding to a questionnaire to achieve expert consensus on the identified items. Thematic analysis of interview data results in six main constructs: Virtual Automation, Content Determination, Coaching Content, Virtual Assessment, Kitchen User Experience (K-UX), and Machine Learning for Feedback and Guidance. A limitation of this study is the difficulty in finding VR experts, as there are not many VR developers in the kitchen industry. Additionally, the researchers have limited IT knowledge, necessitating more advanced studies in IT to better explore data and develop a comprehensive framework. Lastly, insufficient data on kitchen safety, with most existing research focusing on food safety. For the implications, this study has the potential to evolve into a fully developed VR system, while serving as a valuable tool for assessing the readiness of educators to utilize VR in enhancing kitchen safety environments. It also provides a mechanism for evaluating and improving trainers' preparedness and confidence in adopting this innovative technology.