Title: Effects of Augmented Reality Game-Based Learning on Students’ Engagement
Author Name: Natalie Edwards
Selected Case (Published Article): Effects of Augmented Reality Game-Based Learning on Students’ Engagement https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2022.2072015
Wang, Y. (2022). Effects of augmented reality game-based learning on students’ engagement. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 12(3), 254–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2022.2072015
1. Introduction
“Augmented reality is a technology that superimposes digital data such as photographs, movies, or 3D models, over the user’s real-world surroundings.” (Vandana Knojia, 2024, para. 2). Augmented reality is a relatively new technology in the field of education. Researchers, developers, and instructors are still figuring out how this technology can be best used in the field.
Two major ideas associated with AR include the use of interactivity to improve learning and the ability to make technical knowledge easier to comprehend. The interactive nature of augmented reality helps foster behavioral engagement and motivation among learners (Vandana Knojia, 2024). Instead of listening to a lecture or reading from a textbook, students can visually experience concepts in three-dimensions. Incorporating three-dimensional models into instruction provides students hands-on exploration and allows them to manipulate objects. This type of exploration gives students a better understanding of content and a more authentic learning experience. In education, augmented reality is most often used in STEM related instruction like science (Vandana Knojia, 2024). Augmented reality’s visual and hands-on nature helps make complex and abstract concepts in these subjects easier to understand. As the incorporation of digital technologies into classrooms increases, more and more research is being done on the effectiveness of such technologies.
2. Overview of the Case
The research in this paper was carried out in a k-12 setting in Eastern China. Research conducted was aimed at improving students’ understanding of concepts in science. Fewer students are choosing to enter careers in science or deciding to seek degrees in science related areas. Researchers know that the inherent complexity and abstractness of concepts presented in science is challenging for learners. Researchers explored whether augmented reality could boost learner engagement by facilitating the acquisition of science concepts. Three research questions this study sought to answer were:
- Do students who receive augmented reality-based lessons show higher levels of behavioral engagement than those who receive game-based or book-based lessons?
- Do students who receive augmented reality-based lessons show higher levels of cognitive engagement than those who receive game-based or book-based lessons?
- Do students who receive augmented reality-based lessons show higher levels of emotional engagement than those who receive game-based or book-based lessons?
3. Solutions Implemented
Researchers believed incorporating augmented reality into instruction would be an effective solution to improve student understanding of science concepts. Researchers focused on using AR to increase engagement because engagement is linked to improved learning outcomes. To do this they used an augmented reality science learning system that learners accessed through an iPad. The AR system allowed participants to explore concepts of magnetism by using magnets to manipulate objects on their screens. For example, one task involved pushing around 3-dimensional paper clips with a bar magnet. The research done in this paper ties into the above mentioned major ideas in augmented reality. The overall goal of researchers revolved around improving engagement through the use of interactive learning. Augmented reality was also used in science instruction to improve student understanding of an abstract concept- magnetism.
Research took place in Eastern China, over the course of 3 weeks, in the fall of 2019. Participants in this study were 7th grade middle school students. Of the 155 students participating, roughly 60% were boys and 40% were girls. Students were divided into three groups with each group being taught the same material, but through different approaches. The first group received instruction through augmented reality software presented on an iPad. Game-based learning was used in the second group. The third group was set up as a control group. This group was given instruction through a traditional method, learning from books and an instructor. Final exam scores from the previous semester showed that students in each group possessed a similar level of physics understanding.
4. Outcomes
To measure behavioral engagement, from research question 1, researchers analyzed the interactions between students, teachers, and instructional tools used (the AR science learning system, the game-based module, and textbook) during classroom observations. All groups were on par with one another during the phases where the delivery of instruction was the same and did not incorporate video or AR technology. For student-tool and student-student interaction the AR group outperformed the others in the experiment, question & answer, and practice phases of the learning process, where AR and game-based learning were applied. The book-based control group outperformed the other learning methods in terms of student-teacher interactions for all phases except the summary & reflection phase and the introduction.
Researchers measured cognitive engagement, research question 2, with two posttests. The first test was given directly after the last phase of instruction to measure short-term recall. The second test measured medium-term recall and was given five days after instruction ended. Learning performance was measured by using pretest and posttest scores. Pretest scores among each group were normally distributed but posttest scores showed differences between the three groups. Posttest results for the AR group were higher than the other two groups. The game-based group outperformed the book-based group.
Researchers used questionnaires to measure learning satisfaction of participants as a way of quantifying their level of emotional engagement. They used four variables to measure learning satisfaction: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of learning, perceived attention, and intention to learn. Results indicated higher levels of perceived usefulness and intention to learn in the AR group compared to the book-based group. The AR group also had higher levels of perceived ease of learning and perceived attention compared to the game-based group. The game-based group showed higher levels of perceived attention than the book-based group.
5. Implications
Participants in the AR group performed better on both post tests, suggesting augmented reality may improve understanding of content and retention of information. Both augmented reality and game-based learning fostered more student to student interaction with one another in comparison to book-based learning. So, increasing the level of interaction between students during learning activities may improve student engagement. The results of the learner satisfaction questionnaire indicates augmented reality could increase learners’ desire to learn and willingness to apply their knowledge in the future.
Overall, the use of augmented reality in instruction improved student learning engagement in multiple ways- behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. Incorporating this tool into instruction could increase student engagement, facilitating their ability to learn science concepts, leading to greater learning outcomes in science.
References
Knojia, V. (2024, June 5). The impact of augmented reality on the future of learning. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/the-impact-of-augmented-reality-on-the-future-of-learning
Wang, Y. (2022). Effects of augmented reality game-based learning on students’ engagement. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 12(3), 254–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2022.2072015