The Effects of Gender, Age, and Educational Level on Language Achievement in AR-integrated Language Learning

Subject Areas : Research in English Language Pedagogy

Aylar  Norouzifard ¹ (Department of Foreign Languages, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran)
Mohammad  Bavali ² (Department of Foreign Languages, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran)
Mostafa  Zamanian ³ (Department of Foreign Languages, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran)
Ehsan  Rassaei ⁴ (Department of Foreign Languages, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran)

Received: 2022-05-12 Accepted : 2022-07-16 Published : 2023-05-30

Keywords: Language achievement, MALL, Augmented Reality, Educational Technology, CALL,

Abstract :

The current study investigated the integration of one recent technology, i.e., Augmented Reality (AR), in language education and its effect on language achievement. To this end, the investigators designed and implemented a quasi-experimental pretest and posttest study involving two stages. The initial stage examined if Augmented Reality improved language achievement in EFL learners. The second one explored the existence of any interaction between such an effect and variables of learners’ gender, age, and educational background. The participants were 40 adult beginner-level adult learners in a language institute in Shiraz, Iran, and were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. In contrast, those in the control group studied the conventional materials. Data was collected through achievement tests included in the course materials package and analyzed with ANCOVA via SPSS. The findings revealed that language achievement was significantly enhanced for the experimental group. Moreover, results indicated that only educational background showed a meaningful relationship with the way learners benefit from using AR in improving their language achievement among the three moderator variables. The findings have implications for researchers and language instructors, and policymakers.

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