Non-immersive devices, especially smartphone/tablet-based AR, dominated VR/AR-supported K-12 STEM studies; immersive AR was rarely used¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Non-immersive devices were used in 96 of the 117 reviewed studies versus 28 studies using immersive devices; smartphone/tablet-based AR was the most used device (42 studies), and AR head-mounted displays were used in only three studies. → Haozhe Jiang 2025

Evidence¶

Haozhe Jiang 2025¶

Haozhe Jiang, Deqi Zhu, Ritesh Chugh, Darren Turnbull, Wu Jin. (2025). Virtual reality and augmented reality-supported K-12 STEM learning: trends, advantages and challenges. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-13210-z

q2 · i? · review · r2

Device categorization of the reviewed studies (Fig. 5). The review reports 96 non-immersive versus 28 immersive studies, 42 studies using smartphone/tablet-based AR whose use "significantly increased over the last five years", and very few immersive AR uses.

"the largest number of studies (42 studies) used smartphone/tablet-based AR to support K-12 STEM learning, and its use significantly increased over the last five years (i.e., 2018–2022)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Immersive technologies are rarely adopted in robotics GBL/gamification but studies using them report heightened engagement, improved spatial reasoning, and enhanced perceived realism — related
• VR/AR-supported K-12 STEM research is unevenly distributed across subjects: science dominates, engineering has no studies — related
• Most VR/AR-supported K-12 STEM studies targeted elementary students and used quantitative methods, with most samples under 100 participants — related
• VR/AR implementation challenges fall on three fronts: learner distraction and discomfort, teacher classroom-management and design burdens, and school cost and infrastructure limits — related
• Review syntheses: VR/AR most often improved academic achievement and motivation, but sometimes performed no better than conventional technologies — related
• Publications on VR/AR-supported K-12 STEM learning grew rapidly after 2017, with 2022 output four times the 2010 level — related
• Situated, task-based and game-based learning were the most used strategies in VR/AR-supported K-12 STEM learning