Augmented reality and education in electronics: Relationship between usability, academic performance, and emotions experienced in learning

Abstract Students often find difficult to understand the concepts and working details of electricity because its mechanisms of operation are invisible. The visualization of electricity through an augmented reality (AR) app could assist students in understanding these concepts more intuitively and in improving their academic achievement. Due to the lack of studies on AR apps for electricity education, this study aimed to investigate the effects of an interactive AR app designed for teaching electrical circuits on students. The study investigates its impact on students' academic performance, explores its influence on their emotions, and examines the relationship between the perceived usability of the app and the student's learning outcomes and emotional experiences. The study was conducted in an electromagnetism laboratory with the participation of 28 engineering students. The findings revealed that the students who used the augmented reality application presented a better academic performance than those who participated in the traditional laboratory. Except for the students in the experimental group feeling less shame, there were no discernible variations between the students' feelings in the two groups. Anxiety increases in both groups. The AR application proved to have usability rated as good, but it was not evident that it correlated with academic performance, or the emotions students experienced. Only one relationship was determined between the perceived consistency of the system and hopelessness.