Investigating the different facets of student engagement during augmented reality use in primary school

Abstract This paper presents the results of a study into the different facets of student engagement during interactive augmented reality experiences presented on individual tablet computers to students in early primary school. The study was conducted as part of a pilot research project “SCOLLAm,” researching various approaches to learning with tablets in primary school in Croatia. To explore engagement in such an environment, an experimental approach based on an innovative digital lesson platform is taken, comparing augmented reality‐based digital lessons and multimedia‐based ones. In both approaches the contents are being shared, but presented differently, thus isolating augmented reality effects versus general technological intervention effects, an approach so far not explored in the early primary school context, but important, per existing literature. The data is analysed via video coding based on accepted engagement observational techniques and qualitative analysis. The results show that the AR‐based interactive learning experiences are in general more cognitively and overall engaging in the early primary school context, while having less non‐engagement or disengagement of the students than interactive learning experiences in multimedia digital lessons. Those findings are triangulated via teacher interviews and student focus groups, identifying likely reasons for such a difference, and examining how to best apply the results in everyday educational practice. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic The effects of Augmented Reality Learning Experiences (ARLEs) on students’ knowledge and achievement are a common field of research interest by educational AR researchers. Student engagement is often used as proxy for student achievement as it has shown correlations with it, both generally and in ARLEs, and is thus also commonly of interest. It is difficult to isolate the effects of AR versus the effects of the fact that a technological intervention occurred in general; often requested in recent literature, it has so far been only done in two studies, in early childhood learning and university‐level education contexts. What this paper adds The paper presents an experimental study on engagement of students during ARLEs in early primary school (ages 7–8), one of the contexts most interesting to researchers, comparing lessons using the same contents in ARLEs and multimedia digital lessons, thus isolating AR effects from general technological intervention effects. The study shows ARLEs in this context providing more cognitive and overall student engagement, while having less non‐engagement or disengagement. Student focus groups, composed of students exposed to both AR and non‐AR lessons on tablets, explain this engagement by their perception of ARLEs as educational play. Implications for practice and/or policy With the building up of the corpus confirming engagement benefits, researchers and teachers can more confidently assume their presence when preparing ARLEs in primary school contexts, making for a stronger case for the use of ARLEs in this context. The findings, triangulated with teachers’ and students’ focus group feedback, support deploying ARLEs for review and reinforcement of learned contents. Not originally targeted, the findings give underlying empirical support for further research into AR Game‐based Learning, a developing field.