Teaching Computer Hardware Components, Augmented Reality and Student Motivation: A Quasi-Experimental Study

• Main Author: Carter, Michelle Marie
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Community Colleges; Control Groups; Distance Education; Educational Environment; Educational Objectives; Educational technology; Experiential Learning; Learning Strategies; Literature Reviews; Research Methodology; Student Interests; Student Motivation; Teaching Methods
• ISBN: 9798357581761

The increase in distance learning offerings and the deficit in providing an equivalent engagement mechanism for haptic subjects for online learners is stimulating educators to seek new pedagogical methods to meet the needs of the curriculum. A quantitative quasi-experimental study deploying a two nonequivalent groups design was conducted to examine if Augmented Reality influenced student motivation in a traditionally hands-on subject, computer hardware components, for distance learning students. The volunteer sample population, n = 140, were (a) 18 years or older and (b) enrolled in distance Survey of Computer Information Systems course at the institution of convenience. I crafted four research questions with respective hypotheses employing the tenets of Keller’s Model of Motivation (ARCS) to examine four subfactors related to student motivation for (a) attention, (b) relevance, (c) confidence, and (d) satisfaction. The Reduced Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (RIMMS), a 12 question, five-point Likert scale instrument, was deployed to assess motivational rankings after engaging in a lesson on computer hardware components for both the control and experimental sample populations. Mann-Whitney U analysis revealed significant differences between medians for all subfactors of Keller’s ARCS model; (a) attention, p < .001, (b) relevance, p = .002, (c) confidence, p = .002, and (d) satisfaction, p < .001. Relevance was the lowest performing subfactor attributed to the content or the pedagogical method. Satisfaction was the highest performing subfactor. The significance of the elevated performance of satisfaction predicates on the understanding that greater levels of student satisfaction fosters student persistence in online environments. Confirmatory research is key for both educators and administration of post-secondary education for evidence that illuminates the positive outcomes that adoption of AR for instruction can offer.