Revolutionizing business education: The power of business simulations to enhance management skills in Peruvian students

Abstract

This research aims to demonstrate that the use of business simulations improves learning among business administration students at a Peruvian public university. The sample consisted of 50 students, and the study population was 30. This is an applied research study with a quantitative approach and a longitudinal pre-experimental design. Data were collected through a survey instrument, a 24-item questionnaire validated by expert judgment and Cronbach's alpha. The questionnaire was administered at two stages: before and after the treatment. The descriptive results showed that with the application of the simulator, the 50% of students who were at a low level of experiential learning decreased to 30%. In contrast, the 23.3% at the medium level increased to 43.3%, while the high level remained unchanged (26.7%). Regarding the inferential results, an increase in the mean experiential learning score (M = 21.2, SD = 5.4, p = 0.000) was obtained when using the business simulator. Similarly, a positive effect was observed between the experiential learning and business simulator variables. Finally, it was demonstrated that the use of business simulators improves learning among higher education students and is a key tool in management training.