Augmented Reality (AR) Technology in Biology and Life Science Education: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR)

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) blends computer-generated images with real-world environments, enhancing education with positive outcomes, including improved academic performance, attitude, knowledge retention, comprehension, and motivation. Surprisingly, a systematic literature review addressing AR's role in biology and life sciences must be improved. This study investigates AR's background in biology education, prevalent fields and topics, benefits, and limitations. This research followed five essential stages: establishing guidelines, formulating research questions, systematic searching strategies using identification, screening, and feasibility criteria, utilizing Scopus, WOS, ERIC, and OpenAIRE for data, and quality assessment, data extraction, and analysis. As a result, the topic of the circulatory system in the anatomy field was prominently featured. Additionally, the affective domain demonstrated significant benefits with 56.3%, including positive attitude, fun learning, and improved motivation, followed by the improving cognitive domain with 32.4% and the psychomotor domain with 11.3%. Impressively, only eleven limitations were identified in contrast to seventy benefits in AR's application to biology education, such as technical problems, lack of content, and weak internet coverage.