THE USE OF AUGMENTED REALITY APPLICATIONS IN MATHEMATICS ACTIVITIES: THE EFFECT ON ATTENTION SKILLS OF CHILDREN AGED 60-72 MONTHS

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of mathematics activities conducted through augmented reality applications (Quiver, ARLOOPA, Measure, and LeoArCamera) on the attention skills of children aged 60–72 months. The study employed a pretest-posttest and follow-up quasi-experimental design with an experimental and a control group. The study was conducted with 22 children attending a kindergarten during the 2024–2025 school year. The data were collected using the Attention Factor of the Early Learning
Behaviors Scale. The scale was completed by the teacher for each child. During the data collection process, the activity plans prepared for the study were implemented for 1 hour per week over a total of 5 weeks. For the children in the experimental group, mobile-based augmented reality activities involving augmented reality applications were prepared, whereas
routine activities within the daily plans were implemented for the children in the control group. A follow-up test was administered four weeks after the
intervention to assess the permanence of the effects. The data were analyzed using SPSS. The results indicated that augmented reality-supported
mathematics activities increased the attention skills of preschool children aged 60–72 months and produced a significant difference in favor of the experimental group at posttest (U = 22.00, p = .011). The findings also suggest that augmented reality-supported activities helped children maintain
attention and engage more actively with abstract mathematical concepts.