Exploring Augmented Reality for Chinese as a Foreign Language Learners’ Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a promising tool in various disciplines, including language education. While previous studies have unpacked the potential and benefits of AR with regard to students’ language gains, most of them focused on the domain of English language learning. Yet, little is known about the role of AR in Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) contexts. In this short paper study, we explored the impacts of AR on CFL learners’ reading comprehension by using a quasi-experimental design in an online Chinese reading course with 54 undergraduate students. Quantitative results showed that students in the experimental group who adopted the AR tool scored higher than their pretest scores. Moreover, we also found that learners who used AR in their reading activities outperformed those who used conventional reading approaches. We concluded that AR is an efficacious tool and could be adopted to support CFL learners’ reading comprehension. Implications were discussed as follows.