Teaching physics with augmented reality supported design-based thinking: From motivation to value

This study uses the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as its framework and develops and validates a model to explain and predict preservice teachers perceived educational value of AR-supported design-based thinking in teaching physics. To the best of our knowledge, the study is the first to empirically examine how the three basic psychological needs of SDT, namely autonomy, relatedness, and competence, interact to shape both intrinsic motivation and perceived educational value in AR-supported design-based thinking in physics education. Seventy-seven undergraduate pre-service teachers participated in an AR-enhanced design-based thinking intervention in Physics (i.e., exploring the interactions between electrostatic forces). Quantitative data was collected through an online questionnaire afterwards. Structured equation modeling was used for the analysis. The proposed model explains 73.6% of the variance in students’ perceived educational value of the AR-supported design-based instruction. Intrinsic motivation has been found to have a significant direct effect on perceived educational value con-firming its central role in predicting and explaining learners’ perceptions of educational value. Autonomy significantly and directly affects intrinsic motivation and perceived educational value, while competence and relatedness operate mainly through intrinsic motivation as a mediator. Findings have shown that students are more likely to see a task as valuable and worthwhile if they feel motivated by its relevance to their goals, interests, or sense of competence. For educators and instructional designers, this high-lights the importance of designing activities that meet autonomy, relatedness, and competence needs to enhance both motivation and perceived educational value.