Impact of Augmented Reality Applications on Science Concept Acquisition Among Secondary School Students in Ogun State, South West Nigeria

This study examines the impact of augmented reality applications on science concept acquisition among senior secondary school students in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. Augmented reality overlays digital content onto physical environments, offering immersive, interactive science learning experiences that may overcome abstraction challenges prevalent in biology, chemistry, and physics instruction. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 160 Senior Secondary School Two students from four schools in Abeokuta South and Ijebu North Local Government Areas. The experimental group used AR-enabled science applications on school-provided tablets for eight weeks alongside conventional instruction, while the control group received only conventional teaching. A validated Science Concept Acquisition Test covering topics in cell biology, chemical bonding, and wave optics served as pre-test and post-test. Analysis of covariance reveals significantly higher concept acquisition scores in the experimental group, with the largest effect sizes observed in cell biology. Student engagement observations confirm higher on-task behaviour during AR sessions. Challenges including student distraction and device management in AR lessons were noted. The study recommends a structured AR integration curriculum for science teachers in Ogun State secondary schools and urges the state government to fund a pilot AR science laboratory programme. Keywords: augmented reality, science concept acquisition, secondary school, Ogun State, immersive learning