The Effect of ARLOOPA Augmented Reality App on Vocabulary Learning and Retention of High School Students

Abstract

English language literacy is a complicated learning process that every English Language student should acquire to communicate efficiently and to take part successfully in jobs and economy. Accordingly, the aim of the present research was to find out the effect of ARLOOPA augmented reality app on the vocabulary learning and retention of high school students. For obtaining the objectives of the study, 30 Iranian EFL female elementary students studying English in Kar Danesh vocational school were selected according to intact group sampling. First of all, the vocabulary pretest was conducted before the treatment to find about the learner’s initial vocabulary level. Then, while the experimental group practiced augmented reality-based instruction, the control class just practiced their routine way of instruction. After implementing 12 sessions of the treatment, a post-test same as the pre-test was carried out for the subjects to assess their vocabulary level as an effect of treatment. Furthermore, two weeks after the posttest, the participants retook the vocabulary test; these scores were recorded as their vocabulary retention scores. For examining the data, SPSS program was utilized to administer independent samples t-test to compare the test grades of both groups. The results of data analysis revealed a difference between the experimental and control classes mean scores, i.e. the experimental class performed better than the control class in vocabulary learning. Furthermore, the experimental class performed better than the control class in vocabulary retention. Though the mean score of experimental group was slightly higher in delayed-test than post-test.