Augmented Versus Virtual Reality in Education: An Exploratory Study Examining Science Knowledge Retention When Using...

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Smartphone adoption fuels the growth of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) educational applications.
• While AR/VR are used in education, empirical research comparing their distinct educational impacts is limited.
• Understanding differences in learning outcomes between AR and VR is crucial for effective educational design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the educational impact of AR versus VR technologies on learning outcomes.
• To investigate how AR and VR affect science information retention among college students.
• To explore the role of spatial presence and modality in AR/VR learning experiences.

Main Methods:

• A between-subjects experimental design comparing AR and VR conditions.
• Participants (N=109) were college students using a smartphone app on a Samsung S4.
• Assessed science knowledge retention after exposure to auditory and visual information via AR and VR.

Main Results:

• Virtual reality (VR) demonstrated higher immersion and engagement, mediated by spatial presence.
• Augmented reality (AR) proved more effective for auditory information, also via spatial presence.
• Cognitive load differences may explain AR's advantage with auditory input.

Conclusions:

• VR is superior for visually presented educational content due to its immersive nature.
• AR is more effective for auditory educational content, potentially due to lower cognitive demands.
• Tailor educational content modality (visual for VR, auditory for AR) to optimize learning outcomes in each immersive technology.