Augmented reality-based psycholiterary learning: enhancing emotional and narrative literacy in higher education
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This study investigates the effectiveness of Augmented Reality (AR) in enhancing university students’ emotional literacy through literary psychology education. Using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory approach, the research combined a quasi-experiment and thematic interviews to assess both the impact and the lived experience of using the ARPS application. Quantitative findings indicate a significant improvement in emotional literacy scores for the experimental group (p < 0.001), with a very large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.78) and a positive correlation between AR usage duration and literacy gains (r = 0.71). The application also received a System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 82/100, categorized as “Excellent.” Qualitative insights reveal that AR-based interaction—through 3D visualization, emotional audio, and gesture control—facilitated deeply affective and reflective learning experiences. The study highlights AR as more than a visual medium; it acts as a pedagogical technology that bridges emotional engagement and narrative understanding. These findings suggest strong potential for AR to reshape emotional literacy instruction across disciplines and inform the development of empathy-driven educational technologies. To date, this is one of the first studies to operationalize affective computing and narrative-based AR in the context of humanities education.
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