Augmented Reality in Computer-Assisted Language Learning: A Critical Review of Recent Literature (2020-2025)

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) has gained increasing attention within Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and Technology-Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) due to its potential to support immersive, contextualised, and interactive language learning experiences. Despite the growing body of research in this area, findings regarding the educational effectiveness of AR remain inconsistent, particularly in relation to sustained linguistic development and communicative competence. In response to this situation, the present study provides a structured critical review with an interpretative orientation of recent research on AR-assisted language learning published between 2020 and 2025. A corpus of 27 publications, including empirical studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and theoretical contributions, was critically examined in order to identify dominant implementation patterns, recurrent learning outcomes, and the pedagogical and contextual conditions shaping the educational role of AR in language learning environments. The analysis focused on recurring themes related to learner engagement, situated interaction, instructional mediation, cognitive processing, and communicative participation across different educational contexts. The findings indicate that AR frequently enhances learner motivation, participation, and experiential engagement through multimodal and context-sensitive interaction. However, the review also suggests that positive affective responses do not consistently translate into equivalent linguistic gains. Variability across studies appears closely associated with differences in instructional design, task organisation, cognitive load management, and the degree to which immersive interaction remains pedagogically structured. Building on these findings, the study proposes the Conditional Affordance Model of AR in Language Learning as a theoretical framework for interpreting how technological affordances, instructional mediation, situated participation, and cognitive processing interact to shape language learning outcomes. Rather than conceptualising AR as an inherently transformative educational technology, the model positions immersive learning as pedagogically conditional and context-dependent. The study contributes to current discussions surrounding immersive language learning by offering a theoretically grounded interpretation of AR-assisted language education while also identifying methodological and pedagogical challenges that continue to affect the implementation of immersive technologies within contemporary language classrooms.