Does Augmented Reality Help to Understand Chemical Phenomena during Hands-On Experiments?–Implications for Cognitive Load and Learning

Chemical phenomena are only observable on a macroscopic level, whereas they are explained by entities on a non-visible level. Students often demonstrate limited ability to link these different levels. Augmented reality (AR) offers the possibility to increase contiguity by embedding virtual models into hands-on experiments. Therefore, this paper presents a pre- and post-test study investigating how learning and cognitive load are influenced by AR during hands-on experiments. Three comparison groups (AR, animation and filmstrip), with a total of N = 104 German secondary school students, conducted and explained two hands-on experiments. Whereas the AR group was allowed to use an AR app showing virtual models of the processes on the submicroscopic level during the experiments, the two other groups were provided with the same dynamic or static models after experimenting. Results indicate no significant learning gain for the AR group in contrast to the two other groups. The perceived intrinsic cognitive load was higher for the AR group in both experiments as well as the extraneous load in the second experiment. It can be concluded that AR could not unleash its theoretically derived potential in the present study.