English Learning Innovation (englie)
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): August

Integrating Augmented Reality (AR) in higher education: A breakthrough in EFL reading instruction

Mustakim Sagita (English Language and Education Department, Faculty of Teaching Training and Education, Universitas Jabal Ghafur, Aceh, Indonesia and Postgraduate Program of English Language Education, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indone)
Issy Yuliasri (English Education Department, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia)
Abdurrahman Faridi (English Education Department, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia)
Hendi Pratama (English Education Department, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
14 Jun 2025

Abstract

Despite growing interest in Augmented Reality (AR) in language education, few studies have systematically evaluated its impact on EFL reading comprehension or examined instructors’ perspectives, particularly in Indonesian contexts. This study employed a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design to investigate the effectiveness of Assemblr EDU, an AR-based application, in enhancing reading comprehension among 104 B1-level Indonesian EFL undergraduates. Using the Dialang test and one-way ANCOVA, results showed a significant improvement in the experimental group’s posttest scores (M = 15.61) compared to the control group (M = 12.43), with a large effect size (partial η² = .919, p < .001). The mean difference of -2.808 (p = .000) confirms the substantial advantage of AR integration. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with six experienced lecturers, thematically analyzed, revealed that AR fostered student motivation, vocabulary retention, and conceptual understanding through multimodal interaction. However, technical limitations and access issues were identified as persistent challenges. The findings support AR’s pedagogical relevance in EFL reading instruction, though successful implementation demands infrastructural readiness and teacher training.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

englie

Publisher

Subject

Arts Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

English Learning Innovation (englie) is a refereed publication devoted to research articles concerned with the teaching and learning of English. It also publishes multi-disciplinary research and critical review of issues on applied linguistics, English language teaching and English literature in the ...