Keywords

1 Introduction

The educational context is currently going through a restructuring of its paradigms. It has gradually incorporated into its process different resources, methodologies, and tools linked largely to educational technology, which, during the COVID-19 pandemic, was accelerated because of educational activities in isolation migrating to virtual settings [1]. Various studies have suggested that the use of different technological tools improves the learning experience of students as well as their motivation and predisposition to learning [2, 3].

In the range of resources and platforms offered by technology, augmented reality (AR) is found. It has been implemented with positive results in various areas of education, such as anatomy teaching [4], literature, reading comprehension, immersive learning [5], preschool education, the creation of educational video games [6], and emotional intelligence [7] to cite some examples. Consequently, it can be mentioned that the use of this technology could facilitate the understanding of scientific concepts, since it complements the student’s sensory perception of reality by incorporating computer-generated content into the environment. This offers a new form of interactivity between real and virtual worlds [8, 9], which, for the educational field, represents an innovative way for the teacher to present to students the contents to study [10] by combining them with methodologies such as gamification [11], PBL, or educational approaches such as STEAM education. At present, in the rise of digital technologies, technological tools can be considered powerful instruments at the service of education due to the ease and speed they offer to access information in different formats, as well as the various possibilities of immediate communication that they allow, the sharing of information online, etc., thus contributing to optimization of the teaching and learning process [12].

Next, the characteristics of AR platforms and applications to create resources are presented, as well as the benefits of the application of AR in learning. Later, the results found in the investigation are detailed.

1.1 Augmented Reality

AR can be defined as a technology that enables the combination of virtual objects and real objects in real time through technological devices [13]. AR all ows reality to be completed without replacing it, unlike virtual reality (VR), which immerses the individual in a non-real world in which one cannot see the world around [14]. Other authors define AR as the interaction of audio, graphics, text, and other virtual elements superimposed on reality, where objects can be displayed in real time. In reality, some AR applications use mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to allow the user to interact with digital information integrated into physical space [15].

It is necessary to differentiate VR from AR, since the latter combines digital information with the real environment [16], unlike VR where the individual accesses information through an immersive, simulated environment.

1.2 AR Platforms and Applications

There are various platforms and applications that allow the development of resources with AR, among which we can mention mywebar.com as well as unitear.com [17], which are platforms that allow users to create resources with AR on triggers or activators created with QR codes, on images, on curved surfaces, or superimposed on real-life objects. The platform mywebar.com allows one to place images, text, audio, video, 3D models, and 360º images on the triggers or to create complete AR scenes, as shown in Fig. 1 [18].

Fig. 1.
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AR resource platform mywebar.com

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Mobile applications such as Quiver Vision [19] already present AR animations that can be used by the user. In the case of this application, the triggers are images of various themes such as cells, coloring drawings, and volcanoes, among others, as shown in Fig. 2. These AR animations can be used by students in the educational field.

Fig. 2.
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Image with AR application Quiver Vision

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Like this application, one can find many more that can be implemented without difficulty in different educational areas, depending on the content of the application. For example, the Animal 4D + application shows cards with AR animation of animals, and the AR application Cam 4D + is an AR camera application that allows one to create an AR environment anywhere and anytime. We also have the Humanoid 4D + application, which has AR resources on the human body (see Fig. 3). All these applications are from Octogon Studio [20]. In the case of Raap Chemistry, the application allows visualizing the anatomical structure of all the elements of the periodic table.

Fig. 3.
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Humanoid 4D + 

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1.3 Application of Augmented Reality in Education

In the table 1 the reader will find in detail the main findings in recent studies on the application of AR in education.

Table 1. Studies on the application of AR
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1.4 Benefits

The field of AR has gained great relevance in recent years. Various investigations have found significant benefits with the application of AR in education, such as the study carried out at the Pablo de Olavide University of Seville (Spain) and the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil (Ecuador) in which different AR applications were evaluated. The students indicated that they perceived the development of cognitive and digital skills as benefits of the application of AR in education [22]. Other studies have indicated that students considered that AR resources arouse in them the motivation to use them due to their ease of use and the interaction they experience between content and virtual objects, generating knowledge with entertainment [4].

1.5 Limitations for the Implementation of Augmented Reality

Among the limitations to successfully incorporating different AR resources in education are the digital skills of teachers in the use of technological tools. Thus, continuous training of teachers is inherently necessary because when they understand the application of technological resources as well as the management of teaching methodologies linked to a technology, better learning results can be expected when these resources are used [4, 6].

2 Investigation of Hypotheses

Base on the intervention carried out, it was projected that the students would benefit by the technological educational process, which would improve their average performance when comparing their measurements in the development of two projects, one with the incorporation of AR and the other worked in a traditional way. In the same way, it was expected that students would positively perceive the incorporation of AR resources in their learning process.

3 Methodology

Quantitative research was carried out in which a questionnaire was applied to identify aspects such as the educational benefit, motivation, and taste of students regarding the use of AR in their learning. The averages obtained by the students in the development of two projects, one without intervention with AR and one developed with an AR intervention, were compared.

There was a population of 39 students who consented to their voluntary participation in the intervention. The students were in a range between 12 and 16 years of age. All participants belonged to the E.U. Reply May 24 to the fiscal educational system of the city of Quito, Ecuador.

4 Results

Table 2 shows the response frequencies in the survey applied to the participants.

Table 2. Results found in the applied questionnaire
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Figure 4 shows the percentages corresponding to the responses obtained in the survey.

Fig. 4.
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Results found in the applied questionnaire

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The vast majority of the students surveyed gave answers in favor of the use of the technology to improve their motivation to learn, which significantly improved their willingness to carry out learning activities.

On the other hand, as products developed by the students, we find brochures, posters, buildables that incorporate ima ges, audio, text, video, and 360º images in triggers or activators in QR made with applications such as me-qr.com and mywebar.com. Figure 5 shows images of the work carried out.

Fig. 5.
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Works developed by the students

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Finally, we compared the averages obtained by the students in the development of the two projects: a project carried out before the intervention, which was worked in a normal way, and a second project developed incorporating AR resources.

In the development of the first project, the group obtained an average of 7.23 out of 10; in the second project, the group obtained an average of 9.47, increasing its performance by 2.24 points, which can be seen in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6.
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Average obtained in project without AR intervention and average with AR intervention

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5 Conclusions

In this article, we have reported the results of a research study that analyzed student perceptions of the use of AR resources in their learning process. The students were able to successfully develop resources with novel and useful AR elements for their training.

A high percentage of students expressed favorable responses regarding the use of AR in the teaching-learning process. The vast majority agreed that the use of AR improved their motivation to learn and increased their willingness to carry out learning activities. In general, they indicated that working with AR was a positive experience and that they would like to apply these resources in other areas of study.

The comparison between averages suggested the benefit of using these types of technological strategies in the teaching and learning process. These innovative practices generate a real challenge in the educational process since it is necessary, in the local context, for the migration of many traditional processes toward technological resources.

As future research, it is proposed to extend this type of intervention to other areas of knowledge and to a larger population; similarly, it is proposed to evaluate the usefulness of AR mobile applications for students.