Learning about the force of gravity: findings from a survey research

Abstract

In recent years of social distance due to the pandemic, augmented reality (AR) with its ability to overlay real phenomena with digital content has become even more attractive for making physics experiments accessible to every student. Therefore, we have recently developed an AR application for Android mobile devices that allows users to study how the gravitational force between two spherical bodies depends on their masses and their mutual distance. The purpose of this study is to investigate students' experience of using this application. To that end, 85 undergraduate students from the University of Zagreb were asked to use our AR application for completing a task related to the concept of gravity. Thereafter, they were administered five open-ended and 30 close-ended questions from three different questionnaires: System Usability Scale (SUS), User Experience (UX), and Handheld Augmented Reality Usability Scale (HARUS). Analysis of students’ responses revealed that students perceived the application as easy to use, consistent, self-explanatory, and enjoyable. Valuable feedback was provided on possible improvements to the application.