Implementing Augmented Reality Models in the Classroom Environment Using Merge Cubes: A Quantitative Study of the Effects on Students’ Cognitive Load and Motivation

The present study investigates the extent to which the use of Merge Cubes as haptic AR tools in the classroom—realized in construction technology lessons at a vocational college as an exemplary case—influences the cognitive load and motivation of learners. A quasi-experimental field study was conducted using a questionnaire in a pre-post design including a control group at a vocational college in Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia). During the intervention phase, the students in the experimental group worked with materials such as textbooks and worksheets that were specifically expanded to include the Merge Cube AR learning tool, while the students in the control group only used conventional learning materials. In both the pre- and post-test, the cognitive load and motivation of the learners were recorded using questionnaires. The results indicate that the use of Merge Cubes can reduce cognitive load: the extraneous cognitive load of the experimental group decreased over the course of the intervention, whereas that for the control group increased significantly in comparison. In addition, the germane cognitive load increased slightly in the experimental group, whereas that for the control group decreased. With regard to the intrinsic motivation of the learners, both groups recorded an increase, although the difference between the two groups was not significant. Based on these results, further factors influencing the effect on learning and implications for the practical use of the Merge Cube in the classroom are discussed, the concrete validation of which requires further research.