Learning from the real and the virtual worlds: educational use of augmented reality in early childhood

Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) applications are becoming widely available to support preschoolers’ cognitive development and education. AR applications with educational features offer an exciting and unique learning experience by blurring the boundaries between the real world that children are in and the virtual world they see on the screen. Nonetheless, effects of blending these two worlds on children's learning and the cognitive mechanisms underlying their learning with AR have not been discussed. To show why and how AR can have a unique contribution to early education, we review research on the ways that realistic and fantastical themes in narratives, and children's making of connections between the real world and the screen affect their learning. In the light of those findings, we proceed to discuss the affordances of AR and provide a set of recommendations for designers. We argue that a well-designed AR application can support young children's learning by (i) drawing children's attention to the learning material and encourage them to reflect on the content by setting an unconventional scene for learning, and (ii) reducing the representational dissimilarity between the context where children learn new information and the one where they need to apply what they have learned. By providing an overview of developmental research on the effects of themes and screens on children's learning, we aim to provide a psychological basis for the development of educational AR products targeting young children.