Augmented reality and visuospatial bootstrapping for second-language vocabulary recall
Alexia Larchen Costuchen, Stephen Darling, Clare Uytman
Abstract
This paper examines second-language vocabulary memorization. The use of augmented reality (AR) under visuospatial bootstrapping (VSB), a novel approach developed from work on the cognitive psychology of working memory, was contrasted with an established application, Quizlet that has been extensively used in foreign-language teaching. The AR-VSB technique offered superior vocabulary learning compared with the Quizlet method in delayed post-tests, although statistical data indicate a somewhat higher forgetting rate after a week in the AR-VSB method. Even so, the experimental technique still offers superior retention compared with the method used in the control group and could be used as an effective initial input method for acquiring vocabulary items in second-language learning. The main novel conclusionin this research has been that the integration of immersive AR experiences into familiar physical space has been seen to improve vocabulary recall test performance among a sample of twenty-first-century university students attempting to learn a second language. The evidence gathered from the experiment can have future practical applications and might contribute to immersive educational technology and innovative material development in second-language instruction.