The Effect of Augmented Reality (AR) Supported Teaching Activities on Academic Success and Motivation to Learn Nuclear Physics among High School Pupils

Abstract

The research aimed to investigate the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) supported teaching activities on pupils’ academic success and motivation to learn physics, and their attitudes towards AR applications. The study focused on the “Nuclear Physics” unit in high school physics courses and employed the “Solomon Four Group Model” to control both internal and external validity. The study involved 120 pupils from two different schools, with two experimental and two control groups randomly assigned. First experimental group and first control groups completed pre-test and post-test assessments, while the second experimental group and second control groups only completed the post-test. Over a nine-week period, the experimental groups were taught using mobile AR applications, while the control groups followed the curriculum’s planned activities. The data collection tools included the “Nuclear Physics Success Test” and the “Pupils’ Motivation to Physics Learning” scale. Novelty of the research is about comparing and contrasting virtual laboratory learning environments with augmented reality learning environments. The research findings indicated that teaching with AR applications had a significant impact on pupils’ academic success to learning physics. This suggests that teaching with AR applications is an effective educational approach to enhancing physics education among 11th-grade pupils. Despite the fact that virtual laboratories and augmented reality are both innovative technologies with the potential to enhance learning experiences, experimental research suggests augmented reality is more effective in developing pupils’ critical thinking skills in high school physics lessons than virtual laboratories.