Assessing situation awareness in maritime training : Putting the assessment to the test

Sammanfattning

Although the ability to establish and maintain situation awareness (SA) has been amandatory training requirement for maritime officers for more than a decade, the lossof SA remains a major contributor to maritime accidents. This study aimed to developand validate a method to assess SA during training of maritime officers. A two-phasedapproach was used: (1) development and validation of a SAGAT-based tool (n = 3 +5) and (2) a sequential mixed-method experimental study for evaluating the tool insimulator-based training (n = 11 + 3). The developed tool was validated by fivesubject matter experts and applied during full-mission bridge simulator exercises.Results showed that participant SA scores improved over time (Tau-U 0.67-1.0) andthe participants reporting that the tool supported both learning and reflection. Thedeveloped SAGAT-tool and identified areas of improvement identified provide astructured approach for assessing how trainees establish and maintain SA in simulatedscenarios.