A Pilot Study Exploring Augmented Reality to Increase Motivation of Chinese College Students Learning English

Abstract

With the advent and accelerated development of augmented reality (AR), an increasing number of studies have been conducted to test the effectiveness of this technique in education. Few, however, have investigated how AR might influence students’ motivation toward the learning of a second language. To address this gap in the literature, we used a combination of convenience sampling and criterion sampling to select five Chinese college students to evaluate an English vocabulary learning application built upon augmented reality technology. To assess student motivation, the ARCS motivational model was adopted. A semi-structured interview with open-ended questions was used to collect data. Participants indicated that though they were attracted by this tool at the beginning, their motivation level decreased toward the end of the study. An interpretation of our observations in the context of the ARCS model suggests three motivational issues. First, predefined AR materials failed to establish relevance to subjects’ personal interests and previous experiences. Secondly, subjects’ confidence seemed to have been negatively influenced due to their difficulty in achieving the stated learning objectives. Lastly, technical issues delayed the computer quickly identifying the triggering image and thus resulted in a noticeable lack of system responsiveness. It seems this delay decreased subjects’ satisfaction and distracted their attention from the learning task. These factors seemed most determinative in compromising AR’s effectiveness as a tool to increase student motivation toward English vocabulary learning. It must be stressed that this study is a pilot with too low number of subjects from which to make any binding generalizations. Nonetheless, these findings should provide useful insights toward the successful application of AR in the educational realm. The authors recommend further study with a larger number of subjects with a wider range of vocabulary samples and a more powerful computer capable of more quickly identifying the trigger image. Keywords: English vocabulary learning, augmented reality, learning motivation, ARCS Model