TY  - JOUR
AU  - Mittmann, Gloria
AU  - Zehetner, Vanessa
AU  - Hoehl, Stefanie
AU  - Schrank, Beate
AU  - Barnard, Adam
AU  - Woodcock, Kate
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/9/20
TI  - Using Augmented Reality Toward Improving Social Skills: Scoping Review
JO  - JMIR Serious Games
SP  - e42117
VL  - 11
KW  - virtual reality
KW  - serious games
KW  - autism spectrum disorder
KW  - social learning
KW  - communication
KW  - cooperation
KW  - mobile phone
AB  - Background: Augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a promising technology in educational settings owing to its engaging nature. However, apart from applications aimed at the autism spectrum disorder population, the potential of AR in social-emotional learning has received less attention. Objective: This scoping review aims to map the range of AR applications that improve social skills and map the characteristics of such applications. Methods: In total, 2 independent researchers screened 2748 records derived from 3 databases in December 2021—PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Guide to Computing Literature. In addition, the reference lists of all the included records and existing reviews were screened. Records that had developed a prototype with the main outcome of improving social skills were included in the scoping review. Included records were narratively described for their content regarding AR and social skills, their target populations, and their outcomes. Evaluation studies were assessed for methodological quality. Results: A total of 17 records met the inclusion criteria for this study. Overall, 10 records describe applications for children with autism, primarily teaching about reading emotions in facial expressions; 7 records describe applications for a general population, targeting both children and adults, with a diverse range of outcome goals. The methodological quality of evaluation studies was found to be weak. Conclusions: Most applications are designed to be used alone, although AR is well suited to facilitating real-world interactions during a digital experience, including interactions with other people. Therefore, future AR applications could endorse social skills in a general population in more complex group settings. 
SN  - 2291-9279
UR  - https://games.jmir.org/2023/1/e42117
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/42117
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37728971
DO  - 10.2196/42117
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/42117
ER  -