Augmented reality in science laboratories: The effects of augmented reality on university students’ laboratory skills and attitudes toward science laboratories

Highlights

• This study explored the effects of the use of AR in science laboratories.

• A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control group design was employed.

• AR technology enhanced the development of the university students' laboratory skills.

• AR technology helped them to build positive attitudes towards physics laboratories.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of the use of augmented reality (AR) technologies in science laboratories on university students' laboratory skills and attitudes towards laboratories. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control group design was employed. The participants were 76 first-year university students, aged 18–20 years old. They were assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Qualitative and quantitative data collection tools were used. The experimental results obtained following the 5-week application revealed that the AR technology significantly enhanced the development of the university students' laboratory skills. AR technology both improved the students’ laboratory skills and helped them to build positive attitudes towards physics laboratories. The statements of the students and the instructor regarding other effects of AR technology on science laboratories, both negative and positive, are also discussed.

Introduction

In the broadest terms, augmented reality (AR) can be defined as “a real world context that is dynamically overlaid with coherent location or context sensitive virtual information” (Klopfer & Squire, 2008, p. 205). AR has three main characteristics: (a) a combination of virtual and real objects in a real setting, (b) people working interactively in real time, and (c) an alignment between real and virtual objects (Azuma et al., 2001). AR was first used in the 1990s, when applications were related to the training of pilots (Caudell & Mizell, 1992). Medical educators soon used it as well. The use of AR technology is now becoming increasingly popular in the fields of engineering (Behzadan, Dong, & Kamat, 2015), environmental science (Tsai et al., 2012), and particularly education (Yen, Tsai, & Wu, 2013). Currently, AR technology is used in every level of schooling, from K-12 (Chiang et al., 2014b, Kerawalla et al., 2006) to higher education (Ferrer-Torregrosa, Torralba, Jimenez, García, & Barcia, 2015). Though initially the application of this technology required high-end electronics hardware and sophisticated equipment for educational environments, such as head-mounted displays (HMD), this technology is used more widely now because new AR applications are supported by computers and mobile devices (smartphone, tablet PC, etc.) (Wu, Lee, Chang, & Liang, 2013). Mobile devices with improved hardware properties are available at lower prices, and so the use of AR technology is not as difficult as it once was (Gervautz and Schmalstieg, 2012, Martin et al., 2011, Squire and Klopfer, 2007).

Studies have shown that AR technology can greatly enhance educational outcomes (Chiu, DeJaegher, & Chao, 2015). For instance, AR helps students to engage in authentic explorations in the real world (Dede, 2009). AR enables us to experience scientific experiments, such as chemical reactions, that we cannot easily experience in the real world (Klopfer & Squire, 2008). AR also makes it possible to visualize concepts such as airflow or magnetic fields, and also events, by displaying virtual elements over real objects (Dunleavy et al., 2009, Wu et al., 2013). AR helps students to improve their knowledge and skills, and does so more effectively than other technologies (ElSayed, Zayed, & Sharawy, 2011). It increases students’ motivation, and in this way, students gain better investigation skills and do not experience conceptual fallacies (Sotiriou & Bogner, 2008).

Though it offers many advantages, AR poses some challenges that must be considered. Lin, Hsieh, Wang, Sie, and Chang (2011) reported that students find AR complicated and experience some technical problems while engaging with it. For example, in location-based AR applications, there are sometimes problems with GPS accuracy (Chiang et al., 2014b). Without a good interface design and the provision of extensive guidance, AR technology can be overly complex for students (Squire & Jan, 2007). The use of a variety of devices for AR applications may create even more technical problems (Wu et al., 2013). Also, the resistance of some teachers and faculty to AR technology is an occasional obstacle for AR usage in education (Kerawalla et al., 2006). For students, complicated tasks and large amounts of information to master may increase their cognitive loads and prevent their learning (Cheng and Tsai, 2013, Dunleavy et al., 2009). However, careful consideration all of these challenges during the processes of design and application can help in the development of more effective uses of AR for science education.