Augmented Reality Media in Social Studies Learning to Increase Nationalism in Elementary School Students

Research design

This study applied a Research and Development (R&D) approach with the goal of producing a learning product, an Augmented Reality (AR)–based media on the history of Rawa Gede that is both valid and practical for use in schools. The R&D approach allows researchers to move systematically from identifying needs to developing, testing, and refining the product.

To guide this process, we adopted the ADDIE model, which consists of five key stages: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. This model, first developed by Florida State University in 1975, remains widely used because of its structured yet flexible nature, making it suitable for educational innovation.

Each stage was carried out as follows:

Figure 3 below shows the ADDIE model was chosen because it provides a systematic yet flexible framework that supports continuous improvement throughout the research process.

Figure 3. ADDIE learning media development model design.

ADDIE is a learning development model consisting of five stages, namely Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. This model was first developed in 1975 by Florida State University for military training needs in the United States. To date, ADDIE has become one of the most widely used models in learning system development due to its systematic, flexible nature and applicability in various educational contexts (Rayanto Y. H., 2020). The analysis was conducted in one school to collect data related to the initial description of student nationalism and learning media needs. In the design stage, a design related to the Rawa Gede AR media was created. Next, in the development stage, the Rawa Gede History and Monuments AR media was developed. In the implementation stage, it was carried out in four schools with four classroom meetings. Finally, an evaluation was conducted to measure the effectiveness of learning using the Rawa Gede AR media.

The main reason for choosing the ADDIE method is because this model is systematic, flexible, and simple to apply in the context of developing technology-based learning media such as Augmented Reality (AR). In the Analysis stage, researchers conducted a study of elementary school students’ needs for local history learning media. The Design stage provides clear directions for designing media flow, visual content, and AR integration in order to instill the value of nationalism. Furthermore, the Development stage supports the AR media production process with internal testing, so that technical errors can be minimized. The Implementation stage provides space for students to try out the media in real learning situations, while the Evaluation stage provides a mechanism for continuous evaluation, both formative and summative, so that the media can be continuously improved and refined.

Population and sample

This study involved 126 fifth-grade students from five public elementary schools located in four subdistricts of Karawang Regency: Klari (SDN Anggadita V and SDN Gintungkerta II), Tegalwaru (SDN Cigunungsari I), Tirtajaya (SDN Tambaksari I), and Lemahabang (SDN Lemahmukti II). The total population consisted of 817 students, and the sample was selected using a purposive sampling technique.

Purposive sampling was used because it allowed the researchers to intentionally select participants who met specific criteria relevant to the study’s objectives (Dewi, 2019). The inclusion criteria were students currently enrolled in the fifth grade during the 2024/2025 academic year, who attended school regularly, and whose parents or guardians provided consent to participate in the study. Students who did not meet these criteria were not included.

The participants were between 10 and 11 years old, corresponding to Piaget’s concrete operational stage of cognitive development (Wardani, 2022). At this stage, children tend to learn best through concrete and visual experiences. Therefore, the use of Augmented Reality (AR) media was considered suitable to help them understand abstract historical concepts through interactive visualization. The distribution of participants across the schools (See Table 1 for details). The nationalism tests, classroom observations, and interviews were conducted according to this distribution during the data collection process

In the first stage, researchers conducted observations and interviews with teachers and students to determine their level of nationalism and learning media needs. During the implementation process, observation guidelines were provided to assess the practicality of the media in relation to nationalism, and tests were administered at the end of the learning process to measure the effectiveness of AR media in relation to the nationalism of elementary school students.

Research on the development of Augmented Reality (AR) media on the history of Rawa Gede was conducted in several elementary schools spread across four different subdistricts in Karawang Regency. These schools were selected based on the diversity of student characteristics, geographical conditions, and socio-cultural environments that could influence students’ understanding and attitude towards nationalism.

With the variety of contexts in these four subdistricts, this study is expected to provide a comprehensive picture of the effectiveness of AR media in instilling nationalism in elementary school students. The results of this study can also be used as a reference for the development of similar media in regions with diverse social, economic, and geographical conditions.

Data collection

This study used open ended interviews with teachers regarding their needs for AR learning media, questionnaires, observations, and nationalism tests for students. The 20 test questions were validated through expert review and construct validity testing, and reliability testing was conducted (See Table 2 for details).

Based on the results of the analysis of the test questions, the test questions are declared reliable and suitable for use in collecting data on nationalism among elementary school students. The reliability of the test questions can be seen from the coefficient value obtained of 0.902 > 0.60 as a requirement for test questions to be declared reliable. It can also be interpreted from the rtabel value of 0.361, which means that 0.902 > 0.361 and states that the test questions are proven to be reliable.

Instruments

The tools used in this study were open-ended interviews regarding learning media needs. The following is an example of an interview question: “In your opinion, how does learning media play a role in fostering nationalism among students?”

Observations were conducted by observing learning activities using AR media related to nationalism (See Table 3 for details).

Data analysis

Data analysis was conducted as part of the research process so that the information obtained was meaningful. The analysis process for interview data was carried out through confirmatory review in accordance with the researcher’s questions and their relevance to the aspects that were the focus of the study. Tests were conducted to determine students’ knowledge of nationalism. The test data analysis process was carried out using a quantitative approach through the following formula:

After analysis, the results can be interpreted (See Table 4 for details). When the final score calculation process is complete, the researcher also measures classical achievement using a minimum achievement criterion of 70, which can be calculated as follows.

Thus, through these calculations, it is possible to determine the level of achievement of students who have developed nationalism in the good category.

The analysis of the effectiveness of AR media was conducted using the following “t” test:

While:

d_i = The difference between the after score and the before score for each subject

M_d = Average gain (d)➔ M_d = ∑d:n

X_d = Deviation of gain score from its average ➔ X_d = d_i - M_d

X_d² = Square deviation of gain score from its average

N = The number of sample or research subjects

Ethical consideration

This study was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Universitas Buana Perjuangan Karawang (Approval No. 003/UBP-PI/V/2025). This written approval authorized the researchers to conduct the study in accordance with institutional and ethical standards. Prior to data collection, written permission to conduct classroom observations and interviews was obtained from the participating schools. In addition, written informed consent was obtained from the parents or legal guardians of all student participants. The students were also informed about the study’s purpose and procedures before their participation. The research involved minimal risk and was conducted under the supervision of classroom teachers. To protect the rights and privacy of respondents, all data obtained remain confidential and de-identified. No identifiable images or personal information are included in this manuscript.

Preliminary study

The research began with a preliminary study through initial observation with reference to five indicators of nationalism, namely accepting Indonesia’s diversity, taking pride in Indonesia’s history and culture, having a love for the country, having an attitude of tolerance, and being willing to make sacrifices for the nation. To provide a more comprehensive picture, the researcher conducted structured observations, which can be seen in Figure 4 below.

Figure 4. Average early nationalism of students.

Based on the information presented in the figure above, it is clear that the lowest average score for students’ initial nationalism was achieved by SDN Tambaksari I, while the highest average score was achieved by SDN Gintungkerta II. When interpreting the average nationalism scores of students, all four sample groups fall into the category that needs further improvement because their achievements are relatively low.

Based on the results of observations and initial interviews conducted with fifth-grade elementary school students, it was found that the students’ nationalistic attitudes were beginning to emerge, but had not yet been fully formed. This was evident from their responses in class and in their daily interactions at school. The first indicator observed was acceptance of Indonesia’s diversity. Classroom observations showed that tolerance among friends from different backgrounds was quite good, although there were still instances of teasing related to accents or skin color. The second indicator observed was pride in Indonesian history and culture. Observations showed that students’ awareness of national history was still limited to major events they knew from textbooks, such as the Proclamation of Independence or the struggles of national heroes. When asked about local history, especially the Rawa Gede tragedy, most students were unfamiliar with it. They tended to be more familiar with stories of popular heroes, such as Soekarno, Hatta, or Kartini. As found from the results of interviews with students, “I am very happy to learn about the heroes of Karawang, but sometimes I forget their names.” This shows that pride in local history has not emerged strongly due to the lack of interesting and relevant learning media in their lives.

The third indicator observed was a sense of love for the country. Based on initial observations of students in their daily lives, their love for the country was reflected in their enthusiasm for participating in flag ceremonies and singing the national anthem. However, the interview results revealed that most students understand love for the country as merely respecting the flag or obeying school rules, as in the interview results that were conducted: “I know that the flag must be flown every Monday, but sometimes I forget what it means. The important thing is to just participate in the ceremony.”

The fourth indicator observed is tolerance. From the observations, tolerance among students is relatively good. They are willing to work together in groups despite their different backgrounds. In interviews, students also stated the importance of mutual respect and not discriminating against friends. However, in practice, there is still a tendency to form friendship groups based on certain similarities, which can lead to small exclusivity among them. The fifth observation indicator is willingness to sacrifice for the nation. This indicator is still difficult for students to understand. In interviews, they interpreted “willingness to sacrifice” as merely sharing snacks with friends or helping teachers at school. They still do not fully understand the broader meaning, such as the sacrifices made by heroes in defending the nation. Students generally need more concrete and contextual media to be able to imagine the sacrifices made by previous generations.

Overall, the results of observations and interviews show that nationalism among fifth-grade elementary school students has begun to develop, but their understanding is still limited and tends to be superficial. After examining each of the achievements of nationalism in elementary school students, improvements need to be made through learning strategies that utilize technology-based learning media, particularly Augmented Reality (AR), which is able to bridge the gap between narrative historical knowledge and concrete and meaningful learning experiences so that students’ attitudes towards nationalism can be improved. Furthermore, the researchers conducted a media needs analysis on fifth-grade elementary school students, and the results were as follows ( Figure 5):

Figure 5. Graph of media needs survey analysis results.

Based on the analysis of the media needs questionnaire that has been conducted, 24.3% of students are in dire need of learning media, 39.8% of students need learning media, 33.4% of students somewhat need learning media, and only 2% of students do not need learning media. Based on the results of observations and interviews with fifth-grade teachers and questionnaires with students, it was found that (a) local history learning is not yet part of the explicit curriculum in fifth grade. Learning tends to refer to thematic textbooks that focus more on national history or general events, resulting in students having fewer opportunities to learn about the history of their own environment. In fact, local history has strategic value in fostering a sense of identity, pride, and emotional attachment to one’s region of origin. (b) Students are unfamiliar with local historical events, particularly the Rawa Gede tragedy. It was found that most students are aware of major events such as the Proclamation of Independence, the struggles of national heroes, or the events of November 10, but almost none are able to explain the Rawa Gede tragedy in detail.

This shows that students’ knowledge is still limited to the grand narrative of national history and does not touch on events in their surrounding areas. This is evidence of the lack of exposure to local history, which results in students’ weak understanding of the struggles and sacrifices of the local community in defending independence. (c) Teachers find it difficult to deliver local history material due to limited media and contextual learning resources. Teachers say that limited media and contextual learning resources are the main factors. Material on the Rawa Gede tragedy is difficult to find in mainstream textbooks, and supporting resources such as documentation, videos, or interactive media are still rarely available. As a result, local history is only taught through oral stories or simple additional information.

This has resulted in a lack of appeal in learning and a low level of in-depth understanding among students; (d) There is a need for innovative media that can instill the values of nationalism, while utilizing digital technology that is attractive to students.

In this context, augmented reality (AR) media is one potential alternative solution. AR can provide an immersive learning experience, where students not only read or hear historical stories, but can also see interactive visual representations of events and figures. Thus, analysis of questionnaire data, observations, and interviews shows that there is a gap between student needs and the availability of appropriate learning media. Students need engaging media, teachers require contextual media support, while the curriculum has not fully accommodated local history.

The researchers concluded that AR-based learning media on the history of Rawa Gede Karawang is needed and is expected to be the answer to these needs. This media is not only relevant for introducing forgotten local historical events, but also serves as an effective means of instilling nationalism in students from an early age through a fun, meaningful learning experience that is in line with developments in educational technology.

Augmented reality media design for the history of Rawa Gede

The media design was carried out using an integrative approach between technology and historical material. The main components of the Augmented Reality (AR) media for the Rawa Gede Historical Monument, or “Morage” for short, are:

3D model of the Rawa Gede Monument and illustrations of historical events.

The Augmented Reality (AR) learning media design for the Rawa Gede Historical Monument (Morage) was created using an integrative approach, combining digital technology with contextual local historical content. This approach was chosen because elementary school students, especially those in fifth grade, need learning media that not only conveys information textually, but also provides an interesting, enjoyable, and interactive learning experience. Through the integration of AR technology with historical material, Morage is expected to create a more lively learning atmosphere and foster values of nationalism from an early age. The 3D model is designed to resemble the actual monument so that students can feel as if they are seeing the monument in person. In addition, illustrations of historical events of the Rawa Gede tragedy, such as the people’s struggle against the colonizers and the sacrifices of the fighters, are displayed to strengthen students’ understanding of the context of the events. These visual displays help students who are still in the concrete thinking stage to more easily understand abstract historical material.

The historical narrative is in text form and accompanied by music.

The text narrative is written in simple and communicative language, tailored to the cognitive development level of elementary school students. This narrative aims to explain the background, course of events, and meaning of the people’s struggle in the Rawa Gede tragedy. Meanwhile, accompanying music is used to add emotional nuance, so that students can better appreciate the historical story being presented. This combination of text and audio not only strengthens cognitive understanding, but also encourages students’ affective involvement.

AR interaction uses a QR Code scanner that can direct users to an augmented reality (AR) visual experience via a mobile device/cell phone.

In this medium, students can use their mobile devices to scan the QR Code provided in the book or worksheet. After scanning, students will be directed to an AR-based visual experience that displays 3D models, illustrations, and historical narratives. This mechanism provides an innovative learning experience that is in line with the digital habits of the current generation. AR interaction through QR codes also provides easy access, so that the media can be used both in class with teachers and independently by students at home.

Instilling nationalistic values such as accepting Indonesia’s diversity, taking pride in Indonesia’s history and culture, having a love for the country, and having an attitude of tolerance and willingness to sacrifice for the nation through interactive quizzes in the Wordwall application.

After exploring the AR material, students are directed to answer quizzes about the history of Rawa Gede. These quizzes not only serve to evaluate students’ understanding, but also to strengthen the internalization of nationalistic values. In this way, students not only learn to remember information, but also reflect on the meaning of the heroes’ struggles in their daily lives.

The historical material is adapted from the topic “My Region, My Pride” in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology’s textbook for fifth grade elementary school students.

This integration ensures that Morage media does not deviate from the applicable curriculum framework, but rather enriches and deepens existing material. Thus, the use of AR media can complement thematic learning that supports basic competency achievement while strengthening students’ understanding of their local history.

Development of Augmented Reality media for the history of Rawa Gede

The Augmented Reality media developed consists of the Rawa Gege Monument and the Rawa Gede Golden Statue. The 3D images were created using a 2D design application called Photoshop, while the 3D glb format designs were created using 3D Hunyuan Tencent. The backend programming language used is React Js, while the frontend programming language used is React Native. This AR media has been published on the Android app store and has been refined through revisions by media experts, material experts, and language experts (See Table 5 for details).

Table 5. Augmented reality media display history of the Rawa Gede Monument

(https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30529037.v2).

Appearance	Design	Content
Initial Display of the Augmented Reality Media Application		1. Introduction to the Rawa Gede Incident 2. Virtual Tour of the History and Monuments of Rawa Gede
Rawa Gede Gold Statue		1. The Rawa Gede Massacre 2. Contents of Rawa Gede (Still Empty)

This media has been validated by experts consisting of material experts, media experts, and primary education practitioners. There are several notes from media experts, namely that interactive sentences should be provided at the beginning of the application display for virtual exploration, and several images related to primary school children should be created. Another recommendation is to fill in the blank text on the Rawa Gede gold statue.

Based on the reviews provided by experts, it was declared that the Morage AR Media was suitable for testing. The adjustments suggested by the experts were implemented by the researchers, resulting in the completion of improvements to the Rawa Gede AR Media (See Table 6 for details).

Table 6. Augmented reality application display history of the Rawa Gede monument (Morage)

(https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30529037.v2).

Initial Display of the Augmented Reality Media Application, revised based on input from experts		1. Introduction to the Rawa Gede Event 2. More interactive invitation to explore the history of Rawa Gede virtually 3. There are 2 barcodes (Monument and Golden Statue)
Barcode Display 1		Barcode 1, Rawa Gede Monument
3D Monument of Rawa Gede		Monument Section: 1) The Rawa Gede Monument was inaugurated on July 17, 1996, by General Hartono Kasad. 2) Philosophy of the “Morage” Monument (Rawa Gede Monument) Symbolizes Indonesia's Independence Day, August 17, 1945, represented by 17 steps leading upward. The building has an octagonal floor plan. The top section is pyramid-shaped, with 4 sides, standing 5 meters tall. 3) The four reliefs on the monument depict: the logistics of Karawang society in ancient times, the inauguration of the first regent of Karawang, and the condition of Karawang society under colonial rule. 4) This monument is located on the north side of the road in Rawagede Hamlet, Balongsari Village, Rawamerta Subdistrict, Karawang, West Java. 5) Behind the monument is a tomb named Makam Sampurna Raga
Barcode 2, Rawa Gede Gold Statue		Barcode 2, Rawa Gede. Gold Statue
3D of Rawa Gede Gold Statue		Sculpture: 1) Depicts a mother holding her husband and child, who were shot dead by the Dutch military. Sukarman said that the Rawa Gede Massacre occurred when Dutch soldiers were searching for Captain Lukas Sutaryo. "Captain Lukas was known at that time for his courage in fighting the Dutch. He seized Dutch weapons and distributed them to the fighters. In addition, the Dutch received information that Rawagede was the headquarters of the independence fighters. The Rawa Gede massacre: PHASE 1. 1945-1946 After the proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia on August 17, 1945, in Jakarta, a branch of the Indonesian National Committee (KNI) was formed in Rawamerta Subdistrict, led by Wangsadijaya (Head of Rawamerta Subdistrict). Then, the Rawamerta Subdistrict People's Security Agency (BKR) was formed. Next, under the leadership of M. Suminta (Rawagede Village Chief ), the Rawagede Village People's Security Agency (BKR) was formed in Rawagede Village. PHASE 2. 1946-1947 The young men of Rawagede Village (Balongsari) were tasked with maintaining security and public order in the village. Some of the young men at that time joined the TRI (Indonesian People's Army). PHASE 3. 1947-1948 The Dutch military carried out killings of the residents of Rawa Gede at 4:00 a.m. by combing the Rawa Gede river on Tuesday, December 9, 1947. Wailing and hysterical screams broke the silence of that morning. With whatever equipment and manpower they had, the women, parents, and visually impaired helped to take care of and bury the bodies of the victims. According to estimates, around 431 bodies were buried at that time, including those whose identities were unknown. It is possible that the bodies of fighters from other areas were carried away by the river current. PHASE 4. 1948-1949 The Recomba government, under Dutch military command, carried out another massacre between January 1 and October 1948, killing 35 people and burning down 121 houses. PHASE 5. 1949-1951 Another massacre took place between July 3 and November 1950, resulting in 17 deaths and 12 houses burned down. PHASE 6. 1951-1972 In 1951, the Karawang Regency Government ordered the Head of Rawagede Village to find a location for a Heroes Cemetery. A total of 181 graves were relocated to the Rawagede Heroes Cemetery. On November 10, 1951, the Rawagede Heroes Cemetery was inaugurated with the name “Sampurna Raga Rawagede Heroes Cemetery”. Starting in 1953, the Sampurna Rawa Gede Heroes Cemetery was officially recognized by the Karawang Level II Regional Government. In 1972, the Rawagede Heroes Cemetery building was renovated so that the shape of the graves would comply with the uniform grave shape regulations applicable in West Java. Based on instructions from the Karawang Military District Command 0604, the costs were covered by community contributions. PHASE 7. 1972-1994 In 1980, the Regent of Karawang provided financial assistance for the purchase of land for the expansion of the Sampurna Raga Rawagede Heroes Cemetery.
Rawa Gede Augmented Reality Application Display on the App Store		3D was created using a 2D design application called Photoshop, 3D glb format design using 3D Hunyuan Tencent, Backend programming language using React Js, Frontend programming language using React Native. On August 14, 2025, this application was published on the App Store, and on September 2, the intellectual property rights were issued.

Implementation of Augmented Reality media on the history of Rawa Gede

In a limited test, researchers used one class at one school, namely SDN Tambaksari I, as a test sample. In the class in question, there were 26 students who participated in history lessons using the Rawa Gede AR media. In this limited trial, the researchers first conducted training of trainers (TOT) for the teacher who taught in the class, as the researchers acted as observers of the learning process to identify weaknesses and shortcomings of the AR Rawa Gede media. The process took place in accordance with the learning stages outlined in the lesson plan (RPP) for four meetings. The learning activities using the AR Rawa Gede media were conducted interactively, with students engaging in augmented reality exploration, discussion, and reflection guided by the teacher. To statistically test the research data obtained related to students’ pre-test and post-test achievements (See Table 7 for details).

As stated earlier, there was an increase in students’ nationalism achievement as seen from the scores obtained. In the pre-test, the average score achieved by students was 75.42, which increased to 83.5 in the post-test. This means that there was an increase of 8.08 points in students’ nationalism. As proof of the feasibility of using the Rawa Gede AR media in limited tests, an analysis was conducted using a t-test (See Table 8 for details). Test results, it is known that the significance value obtained is 0.001, which means < 0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores for each student is not equal to zero, meaning that the use of the Rawa Gede AR media has been proven to help develop students’ nationalism.

In a broad test, this study was conducted in four elementary schools consisting of four sub-districts, namely Tegalwaru subdistrict (SDN Cigunungsari I), Tirtajaya subdistrict (SDN Tambaksari I), Klari subdistrict (SDN Gintungkerta II), and Lemahabang subdistrict (SDN Lemahmukti II) with a total of 103 fifth grade students as subjects. The implementation was carried out in four learning sessions, which included an introduction to the history of Rawa Gede, the use of AR media in learning, discussions, and nationalism quizzes. From these four sessions, the results of students’ learning activities using AR media can be seen in Figure 6 below.

Figure 6. Comparison of student learning achievement with AR Media (This visualization is based on the dataset available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30529037.v2).

The figure above shows that augmented reality media on the history of Rawa Gede has been effectively used to optimize student learning activities and enhance student nationalism. This is evident in the increase in post-observation scores in each meeting. Observations and interviews after learning show that students are actively and enthusiastically involved in using AR, have a better understanding of local historical events, and experience a positive increase in national values.

Evaluation of Augmented reality media on the history of Rawa Gede

The effectiveness evaluation was conducted using pre-posttests with a nationalism instrument in four elementary schools, and the results were as follows:

From Figure 7, in general, the average scores achieved by students in the four schools that were part of the large-scale pilot test show that students have a good understanding of nationalism. Based on the data in Figure 6, the percentage of achievement is calculated as follows:

Figure 7. Comparison of average test results (Pre-Post) on Student Nationalism (This visualization is based on the dataset available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.30529037.v2).

Based on the results of calculating the percentage of achievement in providing a minimum understanding of nationalism using AR media to elementary school students, it has been achieved, considering that a percentage of 93.20% is a very high level of achievement. As for testing the significance (effectiveness) of using AR media on the history of Rawa Gede, it can be done through a difference test (t-test) (See Table 9 for details). Based on the test results, it is known that the significance value obtained is 0.001, which means < 0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that the difference between the pre-test and post-test scores for each student is not equal to zero, meaning that the use of the Rawa Gede AR media has been proven to help increase nationalism among elementary school students. Analyzing the results obtained, the implied meaning of this value is that the Rawa Gede AR media can be used effectively in learning to increase nationalism among students, especially in elementary schools. After adjustments were made at each stage of testing, the Rawa Gede AR media has become a complete learning media that has been tested for its validity and practicality and is effective in increasing nationalism among elementary school students.

Limitations

The research was only conducted on fifth-grade elementary school students. This grade level was chosen because students at this level already have concrete-operational thinking skills that are moving towards formal thinking, so they are considered capable of understanding historical material presented through augmented reality media.

Future research

To expand and deepen the results of further research, other collections of local history-based AR media can be developed in various regions of Indonesia so as to enrich social studies and history learning in elementary schools while strengthening national identity more evenly.