Employing Augmented Reality for EFL Textbook Development, Instruction, and Learning

posted by Juergen Kurtz, Justus Liebig University (JLU) Giessen, Germany

This preliminary version of a paper submitted for publication in the German (peer-reviewed) journal Fremdsprachen Lehren und Lernen (=Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages; ISSN: 0932-6936) examines the potentials and prospects of augmented reality (AR) for 21st century English as a foreign language (EFL) textbook development and use. Since the utilization of AR to transform and, ultimately, enhance instruction and learning in textbook-driven EFL environments is largely uncharted research territory, particular attention is given to three exploratory questions: How can AR (as an emerging technology) contribute to improving EFL textbooks and textbook use? In this context, what role can AR play in promoting task-oriented foreign language learning in and beyond the EFL classroom? More specifically, what potential does AR hold for fostering more individually tailored instruction and learning? In addressing these questions, the paper seeks to provide a preliminary theoretical foundation for the conceptualization of learning place (the physical location of learning and instruction, including textbooks as physical learning resources) and learning space (the cognitive, affective, and social-interactive dimension of computer-mediated communication and electronically enhanced learning in and beyond the classroom). In research on AR in educational settings, such theoretical groundwork is still missing. It is, however, of great importance for gaining a deeper understanding of hybrid (print, electronic), multimodal, interactive, and adaptive foreign language learning in the digital age. The paper – which focuses on research published in English or in German – ends with a brief presentation and critical appraisal of the ‘Zoom-app’, a pioneering AR-based software for portable computers designed to bring together print-based and digital learning resources for use inside and outside the EFL classroom. Read more.