The effectiveness of augmented reality environments on individuals with special education needs

The purpose of this study is determined as the design, development and effectiveness of the Augmented Reality (AR) environments aimed at providing individuals with special education needs. The developed AR teaching materials are thought to be useful in terms of allowing children with special education needs to meet their basic needs with their own efforts without being dependent on others. The design-based research design was used to conduct this study. Four teachers and 6 students constituted the group of the study. Design Observation Forms, Student Attention Observation Form and Criterion-Referenced Assessment Tools were used to collect data. According to the results, AR teaching material is appropriate and helpful in terms of contributing to the development of children with special education needs by bringing them real-life experiences. Moreover, it was observed that students were more eager and enthusiastic about the lesson during the course of application. Indeed, their level of readiness to the lesson increased, their interest in the subjects increased, and they were relatively more active and more likely to respond correctly to questions. In the light of results, the use of this developed AR environment in terms of the development of children with special education needs can be suggested.