The Development of Augmented Reality Media Based on Play-Based Learning to Enhance English Vocabulary Retention of Upper Elementary School Students

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to: (1) develop augmented reality (AR) media based on play-based learning principles to enhance English vocabulary retention among upper elementary school students; (2) compare students’ English vocabulary achievement before and after learning through the developed AR media; and (3) study students’ English vocabulary retention after learning through the developed AR media. The sample group consisted of 35 upper elementary school students in Grades 4–5 at Lamchedi School during the first semester of the 2025 academic year, selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments included AR Flashcards, English vocabulary achievement tests, and vocabulary retention tests. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, dependent samples t-test, and Repeated Measures ANOVA. The findings revealed that the developed AR media based on play-based learning principles significantly improved students’ English vocabulary achievement and retention.

The results revealed that: (1) the developed augmented reality media (AR Flashcards) based on play-based learning was evaluated at the highest level overall (M = 4.50, S.D. = 0.24), indicating that the media was appropriate and effective for instructional use; (2) students’ English vocabulary learning achievement after learning was significantly higher than before learning at the .05 level, with the post-test mean score of 20.60 (S.D. = 1.453) and the pre-test mean score of 5.87 (S.D. = 1.613); and 3) the English vocabulary retention scores differed significantly across the short-term, medium-term, and long-term periods at the .05 level. The short-term retention score was the highest (M = 7.80, S.D. = 0.551), followed by the long-term score (M = 6.80, S.D. = 0.610) and the medium-term score (M = 6.67, S.D. = 0.606). The Repeated Measures ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference among the three periods (F = 39.325, Sig. < .001), indicating that students were able to retain English vocabulary continuously over time.