Effectiveness of AR-Based GENIUS (Gadget Education for Smart Use) on Gadget Usage among Children

Abstract

The increasing use of gadgets among school-aged children poses negative impacts, including reduced learning concentration and digital addiction. One approach to addressing this issue is the AR-based "Gadget Education for Smart Use" (GENIUS) program. An innovative educational intervention to address this issue is the Augmented Reality (AR)-based "Gadget Education for Smart Use" (GENIUS) program. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the AR-based GENIUS program on gadget usage behavior among children aged 11–12 years. A pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach was conducted. The study population comprised all 30 students aged 11–12 years at SDN Pelem 2 Pare, Kediri Regency, selected using a total sampling technique. The independent variable was AR-based GENIUS education, while the dependent variable was gadget usage, measured using a modified MTUAS questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The results showed that before the intervention, most respondents (70.0%, n=21) were in the moderate gadget usage category. Following three sessions of AR-based GENIUS intervention, gadget usage significantly decreased, with the majority (56.7%, n=17) falling into the low usage category. The Wilcoxon test yielded a p-value = 0.001 < 0.05, with a mean score reduction from 2.23 to 1.43. These findings confirm that the AR-based GENIUS program is effective in reducing gadget usage intensity and fostering smart digital habits among school-aged children.