The effects of applying an augmented reality English teaching system on students’ STEAM learning perceptions and technology acceptance

Abstract

With the inherently interdisciplinary and hands-on nature of the STEAM system, this study changes the way the English language is taught, no longer confining it to monotonous tests and dull textbooks. Teaching via Augmented Reality (AR) technology tends to pique students’ interest, making them more willing to participate in learning. This study used AR technology in conjunction with gaming, where the participants were split into pairs, which promoted friendly competition among themselves, and, in turn, drove them to learn more. Moreover, the ability to track their own performance was added to the system, as well as an in-depth explanation for every question. The teacher used our teaching aids system in the lessons to make the teaching process more interesting and enjoyable. There were two English course experiments, each lasting for 4 weeks. The goal of the first experiment was to gain a general understanding of how students felt about the lessons and how well they could operate the system. After analyzing the results, some improvements for problems that arose were made in the second experiment. The goal of the second experiment was to find out how students felt about the lesson content and teaching aids and to compare the results of the two experiments. To help us find potential oversights and check how participants felt about this approach, surveys regarding STEAM learning and overall ease of use were administered. The results showed that AR English learning was widely considered helpful by the students, and also, our system was easy to operate, and competing with peers really motivated them to do better.