Global trends in the use of augmented reality in Education: Intellectual, social and conceptual structure

In recent years the use of augmented reality has grown considerably in different fields, such as education, where there has been an increase in scientific production on the subject. However, there is no global picture of the research carried out within this field of study. For this reason, the aim of this paper is to conduct a conceptual, intellectual and social analysis of the use of augmented reality in education through the use of bibliometric techniques. A study of 482 documents included in the main collection of the Web of Science database during the period 2000-2019 was carried out. These documents have been analyzed using the bibliometrix tool. The results show that there are two thematic lines: technology in education and assistive technology. In addition, a change of trend is perceived in the use of augmented reality to respond to the specific educational support needs of the students. Augmented reality is a field in full expansion, where interventions do not yet have a central place. The development of a protocol for the use of augmented reality in education based on the results obtained is proposed as an avenue for future research.