Role of Augmented Reality Learning in Enhancing Palestinian University Students' Motivation and Reflective Thinking

Abstract

This paper provides a new experiment based on augmented reality technology in the context of Palestinian higher education. The primary goal is to investigate the effectiveness of AR-based learning on motivation and reflective thinking as crucial indicators of student learning. The research is based on a combined quantitative-qualitative methodology using motivation and reflective thinking scales for the quantitative approach and semi-structured interviews for the qualitative approach. The experiment was implemented on students enrolled in microwave engineering courses in the telecommunication engineering department at An-Najah National University. Semi-structured interviews and surveys were conducted with the research sample, and the collected data were analyzed using thematic coding and statistical analysis with relevant tests on SPSS. Results indicate a positive effect of using AR technology for teaching and learning on all dimensions of motivation, such as attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction, and volition. Similarly, AR has a positive effect on all dimensions of reflective thinking except reflection. In addition, the qualitative analysis and the thematic coding yield seven main themes, such as benefits, hope for the future, challenges, reflections, initial impressions, attitudes, and prior experience. However, the study has some limitations, including a small sample size, a one-semester experiment period, and the novelty of the AR technology.