This study investigates the potential of Augmented Reality (AR) as a pedagogical tool for the enhancement of mathematical understanding and conceptualization in physics, primarily within the context of engineering. The interactive and immersive properties of AR close the gap between representations of mathematical and physical phenomena, enabling students to grasp the issues in challenging physics topics such as vector addition, vector resolution, and the definition of coordinate systems in projectile motion, inclined planes, and magnetic fields around a wire.
Utilizing the Mathematics Sense-Making (MSM) framework, the study investigates student reasoning and engagement through think-aloud interviews and directed tutorials. The MARVLS AR apps use the camera for a phone or tablet to digitally overlay an AR representation of a physical object visually on the Merge© cube. Users are then able to modify the orientation of the AR model in response to the user rotating or translating the cube. The findings of the study suggest that AR improved students' spatial reasoning, facilitated the development of shifts between mathematical and physical reasoning, and decreased cognitive load.
The AR system developed and evaluated in this paper can be implemented by curriculum and educational designers at any level, from K-12 to university to professional career training in any STEM field.
The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025