Aug 2026· The International Journal of Pedagogy and Curriculum· 0 citations
TL;DR
The results underscore the need for sustained professional development to equip Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers with the skills required for meaningful AR integration.
Abstract
The integration of augmented reality (AR) into Life Sciences education has the potential to enhance interactive teaching and strengthen learners’ conceptual understanding. Although AR is increasingly adopted in education systems in many developed countries, its use in developing contexts, including South Africa, remains limited, a finding supported by this study involving thirty Life Sciences teachers before and after a professional development intervention. As an interactive platform that overlays virtual elements onto real-world environments, AR offers significant pedagogical value, particularly for visualizing abstract scientific concepts. However, limited empirical evidence exists on teachers’ capacity to effectively utilize AR affordances to foster interactive learning. This study, therefore, examined Life Sciences teachers’ perceptions of AR affordances for promoting interactive learning. The study was guided by social constructivist theory, which emphasizes knowledge co-construction through social interaction, and distributed cognition theory, which highlights the interaction between individuals and technological artifacts in cognitive processes. Quantitative design was employed, and data were collected from thirty Life Sciences teachers using questionnaires administered before and after a professional development intervention on AR integration. The pre- and post-intervention comparison enabled an assessment of changes in perceptions of AR affordances. Findings revealed a shift from initially negative perceptions to more positive attitudes following training, indicating increased recognition of AR’s potential to support interactive learning. Overall, the results underscore the need for sustained professional development to equip Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers with the skills required for meaningful AR integration.
The growing use of immersive technologies in language education has intensified interest in how teachers evaluate their pedagogical value and feasibility. Although previous research has documented the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) for language learning, less is known about how teachers interpret its classroom use in relation to institutional digital conditions. This descriptive qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of five English teachers who had prior exposure to VR-supported activities. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews and limited classroom observations and were analyzed thematically. The teachers described VR as offering immersive and contextual opportunities for language practice and perceived that some learners participated more readily during VR-supported activities. They also reported constraints related to device access, connectivity, preparation time, curriculum alignment, professional learning, and uneven institutional support. The findings indicate that teachers' experiences of VR were shaped not only by perceived pedagogical affordances but also by the resources, norms, and support available in their institutions. Because student competence, motivation, and anxiety were not directly measured, these findings should be interpreted as teacher perceptions supported by limited observational indications. The study contributes a context-sensitive account of the conditions teachers considered when using VR in English language teaching and highlights the need for pedagogically aligned materials, professional development, and realistic institutional planning.
Mohammad Noor Zuhri, Ahmad Lizamuddin· Edulite: Journal of English...· 0 citations
Immersive learning has emerged as one of the most transformative innovations in 21st-century education. This conceptual review paper critically examines the comparative impact of immersive technologies—Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR)—on secondary education. Drawing on current empirical and theoretical literature (2020–2025), it explores how immersive environments enhance student engagement, cognitive development, and academic performance. The paper integrates theoretical foundations such as constructivism, experiential learning, and cognitive load theory to provide a conceptual framework for understanding immersive learning. Findings from contemporary studies reveal that immersive technologies foster deeper learning, improve motivation, and support collaboration and creativity in learners, particularly in STEM and experiential subjects. However, challenges including accessibility, teacher readiness, cost, and infrastructure persist, especially in developing contexts such as Nigeria. The paper concludes with implications for curriculum integration, teacher training, and policy, and offers recommendations for equitable and sustainable adoption of immersive technologies in secondary education.
Unknown authors· International Journal of Adv...· 0 citations
Augmented Reality (AR) combines real-world experiences with virtual elements and offers various positive educational outcomes. However, one obstacle hindering AR’s use in education is teachers’ limited pedagogical knowledge regarding the instructional implementation of AR in teaching. Supporting teachers with professional development programmes to integrate this novel technology into education is salient. Thus, this study analysed 17 professional development programmes focused on integrating AR into teaching. For this purpose, a framework was applied to examine dimensions that make training effective, including the type of activity (traditional and reform), duration, collective participation, content focus (theoretical, pedagogical and practical knowledge), active learning (e.g., observing teaching, planning classroom implementation, reviewing student work, and presenting, leading, and writing), and coherence (e.g., connections with goals, alignment with state and district standards and assessments). Findings from the systematic analysis indicated that the majority of teacher professional development programmes addressed theoretical, pedagogical, and practical knowledge. However, observation of teaching and review of students’ work in active learning dimensions were lacking. Regarding the general characteristics of studies, most employed a mixed-method approach and delivered the programme in person. Marker-based augmented reality was the most preferred type, and smartphones and tablets were the most commonly used electronic devices. The findings can be beneficial for AR-oriented professional development studies by presenting an overview of effective professional development programme dimensions. Nonetheless, there is still a need for effective AR-oriented professional development programmes for pre- and in-service teachers, and this review can assist in developing new teacher professional development programmes focusing on AR.
Sahsenem Oz, Bahadır Namdar, Tuğba Yüksel et al.· Journal of Computers for Sci...· 0 citations
The impact of using immersive virtual reality (iVR) technologies is well known across the recreational gaming, training, and healthcare sectors. However, iVR’s trajectory into education, especially across schooling contexts, is less known and at an early adoption phase. Only a few studies have deeply interrogated the teacher perspective on the benefits of iVR or how it is positioned pedagogically alongside curriculum as a powerful digital learning technology. This article reports on an exploratory descriptive survey of 66 Australian school teachers, two-thirds of whom had experience using iVR in classroom. The survey combined closed- and open-ended questions to elicit teachers’ demographic and professional profiles, technical choices, pedagogical applications, perceived benefits, barriers to use, and professional learning needs. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to compare the perspectives of iVR users and non-users. Findings reveal that early adopters demonstrated innovative pedagogical applications and a strong emphasis on student engagement, while non-users cited cost, access, and curriculum alignment as key barriers. The study provides valuable insights into the enablers and constraints of iVR integration and contributes evidence to inform professional learning, policy development, and scaling strategies in Australian schools.
Digital technology has increased demand for instructional media that address persistent difficulties in teaching abstract topics such as climate change, yet little empirical evidence exists on elementary students' needs and readiness for augmented reality (AR)-based learning media in Indonesia. This study analyzed fourth-grade students' needs for AR-based climate-change learning media within Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam dan Sosial (IPAS, Natural and Social Sciences) instruction and identified requirements to inform its design. Using a research and development approach following the Alessi and Trollip instructional design model, a structured fifteen-item Likert-scale questionnaire was administered to 60 fourth-grade students from two elementary schools in Palembang, Indonesia, and responses were analyzed descriptively through percentage distributions. Results showed that most students found climate-change material difficult to understand, strongly endorsed visual and interactive learning media, and reported high ownership and habitual use of personal digital devices, yet few were already familiar with AR technology. General interest in AR was considerably higher than interest specifically directed toward AR integrated with climate-change content, and student reports diverged from those attributed to teachers regarding existing interactive media use. These findings establish a pedagogical rationale and technological readiness for developing AR-based climate-change media, while cautioning that enthusiasm for AR cannot be assumed to transfer automatically across content domains, offering an empirical foundation for subsequent design of developmentally appropriate AR learning media.
Rindah Meijustika, H. Hartono, D. K. Sari· Journal of Innovation and Re...· 0 citations
The results showed that the media received a validity score of 82.50% from subject matter experts and 84.00% from media experts, as well as positive responses from teachers and students, making it feasible and practical for use in IPAS learning.
Putri Nur Sakina Karadjo, H. Herlina, Sisriawan Lapasere et al.· Equator Science Journal· 0 citations
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