Children's unexpected cardiac arrest warrants cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by kindergarten teachers. Yet, recent research revealed trained personnel reporting poor transfer of acquired skills during real-world emergencies with conventional CPR training. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) training induces a greater sense of presence and agency than conventional CPR training and may be more effective in terms of increasing trainees' intention and initiative to perform CPR in real-world emergencies. A quasi-experiment was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the IVR-based CPR training method in terms of enhancing the intention to perform CPR. The trial enrolled 50 participants, 25 of whom examined a child patient in an IVR virtual scenario, using an AED, and performed two rounds of two-minute chest compressions. The remaining 25 participants were trained using a video with consistent content on a monitor. A generalised estimating equation analysis demonstrated that the IVR training method significantly increased prospective kindergarten teachers' self-efficacy for performing CPR, positive attitudes towards CPR, and CPR knowledge. This advantage was also maintained after the five-week follow-up. Thus, CPR teaching via IVR looks to be an excellent way to enhance the intention to perform CPR and may be of great value in improving existing CPR training systems.