Teachers’ Confidence and Pedagogical Perspectives on Social Media-Based Augmented Reality in Malaysian Early Education

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly discussed as a contemporary approach to enriching teaching and learning practices. However, its integration in early childhood and primary education remains underexplored, particularly from teachers’ perspectives. This study investigates teachers’ familiarity, confidence, conceptual understanding, and pedagogical perspectives regarding the integration of AR in classroom contexts following structured exposure to AR content creation using social media-based AR platform. A mixed-methods approach was adopted involving kindergarten and primary school teachers purposively selected due to their direct pedagogical roles in foundational education and their relevance to the study’s focus on early learner contexts. Pre- and post-test surveys were administered to examine changes in teachers’ familiarity, confidence, and knowledge related to AR integration. Paired-sample t-tests and McNemar analyses revealed statistically significant improvements across most perception and knowledge measures. Semi-structured interviews further explored teachers’ instructional intentions, perceived pedagogical value, and implementation challenges. Findings indicate increased instructional confidence, improved conceptual understanding, and recognition of AR’s potential to enhance learner engagement, visualisation of abstract concepts, and differentiated learner support. Time constraints and technical limitations were identified as key considerations for sustainable integration. The study highlights the potential of social media-based AR as an accessible instructional innovation and underscores the importance of scaffolded hands-on professional development, peer-supported learning, and curriculum-linked lesson design activities to support sustainable AR integration in early education settings.