In our rapidly changing world, technology has become an inevitable part of people’s lives. The widespread availability of cost-effective technology offers opportunities to innovate teaching practices. There is widespread demand for young people to be learning about and using emerging technologies (Education Services Australia, 2019).
Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging technology that affords students access to tools and environments not available previously. Game-based learning (GBL) is the use of games to facilitate learning. Augmented reality game-based learning (ARGBL) experiences result from AR being implemented in learning environments in combination with GBL. Despite the importance of augmented reality (AR) as an emerging technology, and the opportunities that ARGBL offers for innovative practice in education, there has been limited research conducted into this emerging area. Specifically, there is a lack of research into the usage of ARGBL in classrooms and teachers’ perceptions of ARGBL.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced more rapid change upon the educational landscape than what might have occurred otherwise (OECD, 2020). There is demand for reimagining the way in which educational materials are delivered to students. The immersive and portable nature of ARGBL makes it an increasingly important area in education to be researched that has relevance in today’s world of remote learning and travel restrictions (Sepasgozar, 2020).

This study aims to investigate how ARGBL is currently being used in classrooms and for what purpose, and to identify what affordances and challenges exist when integrating ARGBL into the classroom to support learning. The results of this research aim to inform how curriculum design that incorporates ARGBL can enrich and optimise the learning experiences of students, whilst providing insight into the risks, limitations and considerations that need to be taken into account.

Research questions and sub-questions

The purpose of these research questions and sub-questions is to establish the current usage of ARGBL in classrooms and to investigate the affordances and challenges that exist for teachers when implementing ARGBL.

1. How is ARGBL being used in classrooms and for what purpose?
   1. How do teachers conceptualise ARGBL?
   2. Which learning areas and topics are utilising ARGBL?
   3. In which demographics are the teachers that are using ARGBL? 

2. What affordances and challenges exist for teachers when implementing ARGBL?
   1. Why do teacher choose to use/not use ARGBL?
   2. How is ARGBL planned for and implemented within and across classes?
   3. What is essential for the integration of ARGBL into classrooms?

Theoretical framework

The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework attempts to model the complex nature of the knowledge required by teachers, specifically regarding the integration of technology into teaching (Mishra, 2019). The four key knowledge areas are: (1) Pedagogical knowledge, (2) Content knowledge, (3) Technological knowledge and (4) Contextual knowledge.

This research will consider whether the knowledge required by a teacher, when incorporating ARGBL into their teaching, can be categorised into the main knowledge areas that the TPACK framework identifies and, if so, whether this provides a model for assisting with the development of knowledge that teachers require in order to integrate ARGBL effectively into their curriculum planning and implementation.

International Dimension

Augmented reality and game-based learning are both areas that are relevant for an international audience. Individuals all over the world, especially teachers, have felt the impact of COVID-19. This research addresses one technology (augmented reality) that has become an increasingly important area of research in education in recent years.

This study is being conducted within a constructivist paradigm, using an interpretive approach and inductive analysis. This approach has been chosen for this research as it allows the data to be analysed and interpreted to form new data, contributing an original understanding and new knowledge about the current incorporation of augmented reality game-based learning (ARGBL) into classrooms. To answer these questions, this research is a qualitative comparative case study consisting of two phases. The first phase (online survey) will be used to inform the second phase (semi-structured interviews). The first phase of this research is a survey that will be distributed to teachers through professional networks. The purpose of the survey is to elicit some base level information regarding the current scope of practice of ARGBL in schools (e.g., who is using it, how is it being used, do teachers feel adequate support to implement it?). As well as providing insight into the current landscape of ARGBL, the survey will ask participants to nominate if they wish to take further part in the study. Transitioning from phase 1 to phase 2 will involve the purposeful selection of participants from phase 1 to participate in phase 2. This research will use homogenous sampling; the selection of participants who belong to a specific group based on distinctive characteristics (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018). 
 The second phase of this research will involve a deeper analysis of the incorporation of ARGBL in classrooms. This will involve semi-structured interviews with the teachers who have conducted (or expressed interest in conducting) an ARGBL activity. The purpose of phase 2 is to document the experience of the teachers delivering the experience and to gain insight into their conceptions around ARGBL and its implementation in classrooms during the interviews.

This study aims to produce the following outcomes: 1. Contribute to the development of augmented reality (AR)/game-based learning (GBL)/augmented reality game-based learning (ARGBL) definitions based on teachers’ conceptions; 2. Insight into the current degree of usage of ARGBL and the skills required by teachers; 3. Situational examples of how ARGBL is being implemented in classrooms; 4. Recommendations for teachers on ARGBL implementation in the classroom; and 5. Recommendations for developers on the features that make ARGBL software a more effective tool in the classroom.

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