Background: Augmented Reality (AR) technology in education has shown promising results in enhancing student learning experiences. It provides students with hands-on experiences and simulates real-world scenarios that are difficult to recreate or present in a classroom setting. AR technology helps students better understand complex concepts by providing them with a visual representation of abstract or difficult-to-grasp ideas. Moreover, it can make the learning experience more interactive and engaging by providing students with a visual and immersive experience, effectively impacting their motivation. Understanding children’s behaviour in AR-enhanced learning environments is essential for educators and parents to implement AR technology effectively in children’s education.

Aims: This research aimed to study the impact of AR technology on young children’s behavioural engagement, including behaviour patterns during AR educational activities.

Method: This research obtained ethical clearance. With the consent from the school principal, teachers, and parents, 87 Year 1/2 students participated in the AR implemented class of Dinosaur World. Pre- and post-drawing was used to capture all the participating Year 1/2 students’ understandings of the conceptual topic.

Results: Key findings include a) participating children demonstrated high levels of behavioural engagement when using AR smart glasses in learning, b) high behavioural engagement was indicated by the children’s active interactions with the technologies, such as AR glasses and iPads, and c) high frequencies of peer verbal interactions were also shown in teaching and learning process.

Conclusions: Children’s drawings showed AR smart glasses have significantly impacted young children’s behavioural engagement in teaching and learning.

Implications for children and families: This study’s findings can guide parents in understanding AR technology in young children’s immersive learning.

Implications for practitioners: This study’s findings can guide educators in developing effective strategies for incorporating AR technology into children’s behavioural engagement in learning.

Funding: The AR smart glasses used in this research were funded by ROKID Inc.

Key words: children’s voices, education, innovation

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals