The Use of Augmented Reality Learning Environment in Enhancing Students' Mental Rotation Skills

Engineering drawing is offered in almost all engineering program with a purpose to give basic training towards improving students' graphical reading and drawing skills. However, some study found that some students are having problems while learning this course due to lack in visualization skills. Among all the technologies available, augmented reality technology have great ability in addressing subjects involving spatial content. Hence, this study will examine the effects of augmented reality learning environment in enhancing students' mental rotation skills. This is a quantitative study which implemented a quasi-experimental research design towards a population of first year engineering students enrolled in the fundamental of engineering drawing course. It involves two group of samples which consists of experimental group exposed with the augmented reality learning environment and control group with the conventional method. Both group were given pre-test and post-test consisting of Short Version of Purdue Spatial Visualization Skills for Rotation test developed by Guay in 1977. The data collected in this study were analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) in which paired sample t-test were used to find out the significance difference between the mean score of pre-test and post-test from both experimental and control group. This study found that there is significance difference between the scores obtained by students in experimental and control group which proves that the use of augmented reality learning environment helps to enhance students' visualization skills and act as spatial training approaches as well as teaching approaches. Thus, engineering drawing educators or educators teaching courses that contain spatial contents are encouraged to implement this learning environment to increase students' understanding towards the subjects as well as to enhance students' visualization skills throughout the class.