English abstract
Augmented reality has recently emerged as a powerful tool replacing
traditional education by offering interactive learning experiences enabling
learners to actively participate in their education. This approach promotes
comprehension and facilitates the acquisition of knowledge. While there is an
increasing amount of literature discussing the utilization of Augmented Reality
(AR) in the realm of language learning, limited research exists on its efficacy
among secondary school students. This study aims to investigate the impact of
Augmented Reality (AR)-supported learning activities on the achievement and
motivation of students towards English learning in the scope of the ninth-grade
English course book, “English For Me”, in the Sultanate of Oman. For this
purpose, the study used a quasi-experimental design. It consisted of 65 students
from one of the Batinah South public schools in AlMusanaa, distributed to two
groups, an experimental group (n=33) and a control group (n=32). To
investigate the effect of AR, an activity booklet with course book materials
along with supplementary activities designed based on AR was created by the
researcher. During the five-week research, students in the experimental group
completed the same tasks as those in the control group using an Augmented
Reality (AR)-supported learning environment, as opposed to the control group's
use of a coursebook and paper-based activities. An achievement test and a
motivational scale based on the ARCS model were administered as the
research's main data collection tools. As for the analysis of the study, an
independent t-test was mainly used to depict any differences with both
instruments. The study’s findings revealed a significant difference between
students taught in the AR supported environment and students who relied on
traditional textbook-based classroom learning for the benefit of the
experimental group. The results showed that their levels of motivation were also
positively affected and exceeded those of the control group. In the light of these
results, the study suggested more topics to be investigated in this field and on
different aspects.
