An experimental comparative study of virtual reality and augmented reality for teaching solar system in primary education

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for enhancing primary school students’ learning of the solar system. A total of sixty second-grade children were randomly allocated to the three instructional conditions: VR, AR, and a traditional control group. Experiments used two custom-built applications (VR Solar Jelly and AR Solar Jelly) as primary interventions for participants. Post-test data indicated that both the VR (M = 16.90, SD = 0.97) and AR (M = 15.40, SD = 1.57) groups scored significantly higher than did the control group (M = 12.40, SD = 1.43; p < .05). Retention tests, performed with a two-week gap, showed a significant increase in the retention of knowledge of VR (91.42%) and AR (89.29%) compared to the control group (79.44%). Immersion conditions In terms of student satisfaction, both immersive conditions rated highly, the VR group (M = 2.85, SD = 0.37) indicating marginally more satisfaction than the AR group (M = 2.65, SD = 0.49) across four dimensions: media interest, ease of use, interactivity, and entertainment. These results indicate that immersive learning environments, and especially those using VR, may be most effective in improving conceptual learning, engagement, and retention in a group of young science learners. These findings lend empirical support to the application of immersive technologies in primary science education.