The Effectiveness of Augmented Reality Offered with Constant Time Delay Procedure in Teaching the Functions of Organs to Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Introduction: Science course allows student to follow scientific developments, understand and interpret the events that occur around them, and develop scientific process skills. Different methods are employed in teaching science to student childeren with intellectual disabilities. There has been a recent increase in technology-supported methods. One of the technology-supported methods is Augmented Reality. For this reason, the effectiveness of the augmented reality provided with the constant time delay procedure in teaching the functions of the organs to childeren with intellectual disabilities was investigated in the present study. The study was conducted in the individual education setting of a private special education and rehabilitation center. Method: Three students who had intellectual disabilities participated in the study. The multiple probe design with probe conditions. Phases across behaviors, which is one of the single-case research designs, was used in the study. Findings: According to the study results, it was found that all participants acquired the target behaviors successfully and the participants retained the behaviors they acquired after the teaching of organs and their functions ended and they were able to generalize the behaviors they acquired to different materials. Discussion: Based on the results of the study, it can be argued that the Augmented Reality offered with the Constant Time Delay Procedure is effective in teaching science subjects to childeren with intellectual disabilities. It can also be argued that the permanence of the acquired behaviors is high when students who have mental disabilities are taught science subjects by using Augmented Reality along with the Constant Time Delay Procedure. To generalize the results obtained in the present study, it may be suggested that the same practice be performed with other experimenters and different age groups. For the social validity of the study, the teachers of the participants expressed positive opinions about the Augmented Reality offered with target behaviors and Constant Time Delay Procedure.