TY - JOUR
T1 - Young children’s use of an augmented reality sandbox to enhance spatial thinking
AU - George, Rhys Cameron
AU - Howitt, Christine
AU - Oakley, Grace
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Augmented reality (AR) technology is being introduced in educational settings for its ability to overlay virtual information onto physical environments. The AR Sandbox is a conventional sandbox with depth coloured representations projected onto the sand’s surface. This research investigates how 4- and 5-year-old Australian children use an AR Sandbox to enhance their spatial thinking through play. Participants were four children, their two educators and the first author as a participant-observer researcher. Data were collected over an 8-week period during 2015 and included observation, child conferencing, photography, educators’ perspectives, and the researcher’s perspectives. Vignettes are presented to demonstrate how children’s spatial thinking was enhanced through exploration and representation in the AR Sandbox. Children’s active and dynamic manipulation of the space of the AR Sandbox, along with a range of socio-cultural contexts and tools, assisted in enhancing their spatial abilities.
AB - Augmented reality (AR) technology is being introduced in educational settings for its ability to overlay virtual information onto physical environments. The AR Sandbox is a conventional sandbox with depth coloured representations projected onto the sand’s surface. This research investigates how 4- and 5-year-old Australian children use an AR Sandbox to enhance their spatial thinking through play. Participants were four children, their two educators and the first author as a participant-observer researcher. Data were collected over an 8-week period during 2015 and included observation, child conferencing, photography, educators’ perspectives, and the researcher’s perspectives. Vignettes are presented to demonstrate how children’s spatial thinking was enhanced through exploration and representation in the AR Sandbox. Children’s active and dynamic manipulation of the space of the AR Sandbox, along with a range of socio-cultural contexts and tools, assisted in enhancing their spatial abilities.
U2 - 10.1080/14733285.2019.1614533
DO - 10.1080/14733285.2019.1614533
M3 - Article
VL - 18
SP - 209
EP - 221
JO - CHILDREN'S GEOGRAPHIES: ADVANCING INTERDISCIPLINARY UNDERSTANDING OF YOUNGER PEOPLE'S LIVES
JF - CHILDREN'S GEOGRAPHIES: ADVANCING INTERDISCIPLINARY UNDERSTANDING OF YOUNGER PEOPLE'S LIVES
SN - 1473-3277
IS - 2
ER -