Effects of an Augmented Reality Chemistry Application on High School Students’ Knowledge Gains, Learning Engagement, and Technology Acceptance

Abstract Understanding microscopic concepts is a core challenge in chemistry education. Augmented Reality (AR) learning environments address this challenge by providing innovative instructional tools and enabling direct student interaction with molecular representations. To investigate AR’s potential for teaching abstract concepts such as electron density distribution and molecular polarity, we developed a chemistry AR application featuring dynamic visualizations of electron pair displacement and lone pair distribution through Bézier curve scripting. Using a mixed-methods approach, we examined the effects of this AR-supported review activity on 48 high school students in Xinjiang, China, measuring cognitive gains, learning engagement, and technology acceptance. The findings indicate that participation in the AR-supported activity was associated with significant improvements in learning outcomes, with low-achieving students showing greater progress than high achievers, alongside enhanced engagement across cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions, and manageable self-reported cognitive load. Notably, despite minor usability challenges, students reported high levels of technology acceptance. Overall, these findings suggest that AR-supported review activities built around dynamic visualizations of molecular polarity can be positively associated with student outcomes in high school chemistry contexts.