The effect of fantasy on learning and recall of declarative knowledge in AR game-based learning

With increasing research attention on the application of Augmented Reality (AR) and Game elements in education, fantasy elements as imaginary, fictional game features have been shown to improve learners’ motivation and are critical to engaging and immersive experiences in AR game-based learning. With its affordance of enriching real-life education with virtual effects, AR game-based learning has shown its potential to improve recall performance in previous research. However, educators and researchers have concerns regarding the effect of employing fantasy game elements in AR game-based learning, suggesting learning with such elements will add cognitive load for children leading to a lower recall. To explore the effect of AR and fantasy in game-based learning for recalling declarative knowledge, we conducted an experiment involving 98 children participants and 26 adult participants from the Netherlands and China, using our own designed AR game- ChemiKami AR. We used a mixed ANOVA to identify the effect of fantasy and AR on knowledge recall. This study showed that using AR fantasy in game-based learning can improve recall of declarative knowledge and increase learning effectiveness in classroom learning contexts for children. We offer insights and guidelines for designing AR and fantasy experiences that enhance declarative knowledge recall for target groups with different ages, learning capacities, and cultural backgrounds.</p

Situating Learning in AR Fantasy, Design Considerations for AR Game-Based Learning for Children

(1) Background: Augmented reality (AR) game-based learning, has received increased attention in recent years. Fantasy is a vital gaming feature that promotes engagement and immersion experience for children. However, situating learning with AR fantasy to engage learners and fit pedagogical contexts needs structured analysis of educational scenarios for different subjects. (2) Methods: We present a combined study using our own built AR games, MathMythosAR2 for mathematics learning, and FancyBookAR for English as second-language learning. For each game, we created a fantasy and a real-life narrative. We investigated player engagement and teachers&rsquo; scaffolding through qualitative and quantitative research with 62 participants aged from 7 to 11 years old. (3) Results: We discovered that fantasy narratives engage students in mathematics learning while disengaging them in second-language learning. Participants report a higher imagination with fantasy narratives and a higher analogy with real-life narratives. We found that teachers&rsquo; scaffolding for MathMythosAR2 focused on complex interactions, for FancyBookAR, focused on story interpretation and knowledge explanation. (4) Conclusions: It is recommended to mix fantasy and real-life settings, and use simple AR interaction and pedagogical agents that enable teachers&rsquo; scaffolding seamlessly. The design of AR fantasy should evaluate whether the story is intrinsically related to the learning subjects, as well as the requirements of explicit explanation

Situating Learning in AR Fantasy, Design Considerations for AR Game-Based Learning for Children

(1) Background: Augmented reality (AR) game-based learning, has received increased attention in recent years. Fantasy is a vital gaming feature that promotes engagement and immersion experience for children. However, situating learning with AR fantasy to engage learners and fit pedagogical contexts needs structured analysis of educational scenarios for different subjects. (2) Methods: We present a combined study using our own built AR games, MathMythosAR2 for mathematics learning, and FancyBookAR for English as second-language learning. For each game, we created a fantasy and a real-life narrative. We investigated player engagement and teachers’ scaffolding through qualitative and quantitative research with 62 participants aged from 7 to 11 years old. (3) Results: We discovered that fantasy narratives engage students in mathematics learning while disengaging them in second-language learning. Participants report a higher imagination with fantasy narratives and a higher analogy with real-life narratives. We found that teachers’ scaffolding for MathMythosAR2 focused on complex interactions, for FancyBookAR, focused on story interpretation and knowledge explanation. (4) Conclusions: It is recommended to mix fantasy and real-life settings, and use simple AR interaction and pedagogical agents that enable teachers’ scaffolding seamlessly. The design of AR fantasy should evaluate whether the story is intrinsically related to the learning subjects, as well as the requirements of explicit explanatio

The mediating effect of fantasy on engagement in an AR game for learning

It is challenging to create an immersive and engaging remote education setting properly, especially for children who are less motivated and quickly distracted by virtual learning activities that fall short of leveraging the immersive design potential. To maximize the educational potential of AR game-based learning, designers need to align fantastical environments, learning content, and AR requirements. This task requires a thorough understanding of the impact of design choices on users’ experiences. To gain insights into the motivational mechanics of fantasy elements in AR, we investigated the effect of two AR learning contexts—a fantasy setting and a daily setting—on children’s experience and motivation. Our goal is to scrutinize the relationship between fantasy states, intrinsic motivation, and players’ experience of autonomy and presence. Our results suggest that the relationship between imagination and enjoyment—stimulated by our two conditions—is fully mediated by experiences of autonomy and presence. Our research provides insights into the relationships between experience constructs and informs the design of fantasy learning experiences. We provide guidelines to support game designers and researchers to integrate the fantasy experience in AR learning games for children