| dc.description.abstract | Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that combines the virtual objects with the real world. One of the fields where AR technology is used is education and the use of AR technology in education is becoming more common day by day. Although many studies related to AR technology have focused on the motivation of students, academic achievement of students, teaching or learning abstract concept in education, there are very few studies on the use of AR technology to support collaboration in education. Thus, this study investigates what happens when AR technology is used for collaboration in science education.
A single embedded case study design was employed to understand in depth what happens when AR technology is utilized to support collaboration among students. This study was conducted in one primary school in the United Kingdom (UK). The Year 5 teacher in this school and ten students in this teacher's class were the participants of this study. During the data collection process, the Year 5 students at this school worked together in groups of three or four on the science activities given to them with the AR application called Galactic Explorer for Merge Cube. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews with the teacher, focus group interviews with the students, and video observations of lessons.
The analysis showed that the students mostly used the Exploratory Talk, which was an indicator of collaboration, when working with the AR app as a group. When the students’ talk was examined in order to understand the nature of the collaboration among the students, it was revealed that the students’ talk had functions in terms of collaboration, the AR app and task. In addition, since there are few studies on the use of AR app in education to support collaboration process, the role of AR app in the collaboration process has been examined and it has been revealed that AR app has four different roles in this process. These were visualisation, embodiment, helping discover information, and enhancing understanding. Also, since the teacher included the AR app in the classroom environment, the teacher's experience in using the AR application to support collaboration and the teacher's role in this process were examined. As a result of the analysis, how the teacher integrates the AR application into the lessons to support collaboration, the teacher's feelings about the use of the AR application to support collaboration, and the advantages and disadvantages faced in this process were presented. The role of the teacher in this process was examined in terms of the pedagogical links the teacher made in lessons and it was revealed that the teacher made links to support knowledge building, to promote continuity, and to encourage emotional engagement.
The findings of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of how AR technology can be incorporated into science lessons in order to support collaboration and interaction among students. This study also makes an original contribution to the methodology by showing how the FACCT framework can be adapted for various technological tools used in the collaboration process. The implications of this thesis can inform primary teachers on how to use AR technology in science lessons to support collaboration and interaction among students, and developers on how to develop better educational AR apps especially for encouraging collaboration and interaction. | en_GB |
