Abstract:

School physics laboratory activities often require students to handle equipment, follow procedures, collect measurements, and interpret results within the same learning environment. These multiple demands may create difficulties, particularly when instructional guidance is provided separately from the hands-on task environment. Augmented reality (AR) offers a promising approach to technology-enhanced learning by embedding digital support directly into the real laboratory setting.

This paper presents a study of an AR-supported physics laboratory activity implemented in an authentic school setting. Beyond examining students' perceptions of the activity, the paper also highlights the educational value of the application developed for this purpose. The AR application was designed to provide in situ visual and procedural guidance integrated with the physical laboratory environment, enabling learners to follow task steps, revisit instructions, and compare digital overlays with the real experimental setup while performing the activity. In this sense, the application was intended not merely as a delivery tool for instructions but as a technology-enhanced learning environment that supports manageable, self-paced, and visually guided participation in hands-on laboratory work. To examine how students perceived this AR-supported learning environment in practice, the study employed a primarily quantitative design based on closed-ended questionnaires and a structured observation. Participants were 23 eleventh-grade students enrolled in a regional advanced high-school physics program.

Findings indicated generally positive perceptions of the AR-supported activity across all seven measured dimensions, with particularly high ratings for representational fidelity, control and active learning, and perceived ease of use. Observational data further showed that students successfully followed the guidance, assembled and, when needed, revised the experimental setup independently, collected measurements, and constructed graphs in Excel.

Overall, the findings suggest that the developed AR application can support physics laboratory learning in high schools not only by delivering embedded instructions but also by serving as a contextualized scaffold that promotes active participation, learner autonomy, and self-paced engagement. Although the present study focused on a single electromotive force experiment, the application was designed as a flexible AR presentation authoring tool that may be adapted rapidly to additional laboratory activities and broader instructional contexts. The study thus contributes to discussions on technology-enhanced laboratory learning by highlighting both the pedagogical value and the broader design potential of AR-based instructional applications in authentic educational settings.

Keywords:

Augmented Reality, Technology-Enhanced Learning, Physics Laboratory Activities.