Enhancing student engagement through augmented reality in secondary biology education

Introduction Secondary students often struggle to visualize complex biological structures, leading to low engagement and shallow understanding. These challenges are greater in resource-limited classrooms lacking laboratory equipment or modern teaching aids. To address this, we developed ScienceAR, a curriculum-aligned AR application that transforms textbook diagrams into interactive 3D models. This study evaluates its effectiveness in secondary school biology in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods A quasi-experimental design was used with 60 ninth-grade students randomly assigned to an experimental group ( n = 30) receiving AR-enhanced instruction or a control group ( n = 30) receiving traditional instruction. The seven-day intervention covered challenging biology topics such as human anatomy. Data included pre- and post-tests, student surveys, teacher observations, and student feedback. Post-test scores were analyzed using t-tests and effect size. Results The experimental group significantly outperformed the control group (81.0% vs. 76.1%, t (58) = 2.36, p = 0.022, Cohen's d = 0.61). Surveys showed higher ratings for enjoyment, motivation, confidence, and clarity, all above 4.0. Teachers reported greater attentiveness, questioning, and participation in AR lessons. Discussion AR improved test performance, engagement, and attitudes toward biology. ScienceAR demonstrates potential as a low-cost, scalable instructional tool for underserved classrooms. Limitations include the short intervention and single-site design. Future research should explore long-term impacts, cross-subject applications, and teacher training for broader implementation.