Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic Review
Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies—collectively known as Extended Reality (XR)—have ushered in a new era of immersive and interactive instruction in applied sciences education. This systematic literature review aims to examine the application of XR tech...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Tien-Chi Huang Hsin-Ping Tseng |
| author_facet | Tien-Chi Huang Hsin-Ping Tseng |
| author_sort | Tien-Chi Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies—collectively known as Extended Reality (XR)—have ushered in a new era of immersive and interactive instruction in applied sciences education. This systematic literature review aims to examine the application of XR technologies across various scientific and educational domains, evaluate their impact on learning outcomes, and identify the challenges hindering their broader integration. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search was conducted using Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore, focusing on empirical studies published between 1 January 2010 and 1 November 2024, resulting in the inclusion of 56 studies. Among these, 32 studies (53%) employed VR, 25 studies (42%) utilized AR, and 3 studies (5%) adopted MR, with 4 studies exploring the combined application of VR and AR. The findings indicate that VR is primarily applied in higher education settings, such as universities and graduate programs, whereas AR is more prevalent in primary and secondary education; although MR is less frequently used, it exhibits distinct advantages in disciplines requiring high interactivity and realism. Overall, each XR modality can enhance learning motivation, efficiency, and immediate knowledge acquisition in short-term interventions, while long-term implementation may contribute to improved memory retention, increased learner confidence, and sustained engagement. Despite persistent challenges—including high equipment costs, spatial and temporal constraints, small sample sizes, and insufficient longitudinal evidence—these findings underscore the transformative potential of XR technologies in applied sciences education. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ed7f12f68d6b4b7cb49a5290c3ab7dfe |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-ed7f12f68d6b4b7cb49a5290c3ab7dfe2025-08-20T03:06:20ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-04-01157403810.3390/app15074038Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic ReviewTien-Chi Huang0Hsin-Ping Tseng1Department of Information Management, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taichung 404, TaiwanDoctoral Program of Intelligent Engineering, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taichung 404, TaiwanAugmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies—collectively known as Extended Reality (XR)—have ushered in a new era of immersive and interactive instruction in applied sciences education. This systematic literature review aims to examine the application of XR technologies across various scientific and educational domains, evaluate their impact on learning outcomes, and identify the challenges hindering their broader integration. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search was conducted using Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore, focusing on empirical studies published between 1 January 2010 and 1 November 2024, resulting in the inclusion of 56 studies. Among these, 32 studies (53%) employed VR, 25 studies (42%) utilized AR, and 3 studies (5%) adopted MR, with 4 studies exploring the combined application of VR and AR. The findings indicate that VR is primarily applied in higher education settings, such as universities and graduate programs, whereas AR is more prevalent in primary and secondary education; although MR is less frequently used, it exhibits distinct advantages in disciplines requiring high interactivity and realism. Overall, each XR modality can enhance learning motivation, efficiency, and immediate knowledge acquisition in short-term interventions, while long-term implementation may contribute to improved memory retention, increased learner confidence, and sustained engagement. Despite persistent challenges—including high equipment costs, spatial and temporal constraints, small sample sizes, and insufficient longitudinal evidence—these findings underscore the transformative potential of XR technologies in applied sciences education.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/4038extended realityvirtual realityaugmented realitymixed realityapplied sciences educationlearning outcomes |
| spellingShingle | Tien-Chi Huang Hsin-Ping Tseng Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic Review Applied Sciences extended reality virtual reality augmented reality mixed reality applied sciences education learning outcomes |
| title | Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic Review |
| title_full | Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic Review |
| title_short | Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic Review |
| title_sort | extended reality in applied sciences education a systematic review |
| topic | extended reality virtual reality augmented reality mixed reality applied sciences education learning outcomes |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/4038 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tienchihuang extendedrealityinappliedscienceseducationasystematicreview AT hsinpingtseng extendedrealityinappliedscienceseducationasystematicreview |