See Me Roar: an AR Game to Improve Children’s
Perception of Relatedness and Learning Motivation in Elementary Math Education
M12 project by Xiaoyu Yu
Today’s primary school teachers may find it hard to motivate their students into traditional learning activities, especially with subjects which students may find difficult and are subsequently not willing to spend much time on, such as mathematics. Educational games with Augmented Reality (AR) technology could provide a great potential for learning and are increasingly available among primary school students. However, there is a lack of understanding on how to improve student’s learning motivation through the AR educational games. In the present study, the researcher first used the method of co-design with children to shape and develop the concept of an AR game for children to practice their math skills in the social learning environment. Then, the researcher conducted a user test with four 8-12-year-old students to explore which game elements (collaboration vs. competition) in the AR game could improve their perception of relatedness and motivation based on Self-determination Theory. The results show that the collaboration version could lead to a higher perception of relatedness and more learning motivation.