Analysis of the Productive, Structural, and Dynamic Development of Augmented Reality in Higher Education Research on the Web of Science

Abstract

Augmented reality is an emerging technology that has gained great relevance thanks to the benefits of its use in learning spaces. The present study focuses on determining the performance and scientific production of augmented reality in higher education (ARHE). A bibliometric methodology for scientific mapping has been used, based on processes of estimation, quantification, analytical tracking, and evaluation of scientific research, taking as its reference the analysis protocols included in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses for Protocols (PRISMA-P) matrix. A total of 552 scientific publications on the Web of Science (WoS) have been analyzed. Our results show that scientific productions on ARHE are not abundant, tracing its beginnings to the year 1997, with its most productive period beginning in 2015. The most abundant studies are communications and articles (generally in English), with a wide thematic variety in which the bibliometric indicators "virtual environments" and "higher education" stand out. The main sources of origin are International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED) Proceedings and Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN) Proceedings, although Spanish institutions are the most prolific. In conclusion, studies related to ARHE in the WoS have become increasingly abundant since ARHE's research inception in 1997 (and especially since 2009), dealing with a wide thematic variety focused on "virtual environments" and "higher education"; abundant manuscripts are written in English (communications and articles) and originate from Spanish institutions. The main limitation of the study is that the results only reveal the status of this issue in the WoS database. Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 5306 2 of 17 the professional practice of teachers and is visible in the need to carry out innovative practices [7] according to the requirements of an education immersed in this digitalized era [8].In this sense, the digital competency of teachers has become especially relevant in their daily tasks [9]; indeed, teachers are at the forefront of the education of new generations of students who are highly familiar with technology [10]. Despite this, current students still have certain training lacunae in related professional competences [11]. Therefore, it is required that teachers integrate of knowledge and skills linked to technopedagogy-that is, a new methodological paradigm in which the materials and resources used in the teaching and learning processes are mostly technological and digital. This will improve quality indicators and reproduce innovative learning experiences in the hands of educational technology [12].One of the technologies with great promise in the field of education is augmented reality (AR) [13,14], which allowing for unique instructional activities to facilitate learning [15]. Experts define this technology as an innovation that "allows the combination of digital information and physical information in real time through different technologi...

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