Study on the Influence of Different Spatial Ability Students in AR Geography Teaching

In the geography class where the spatial concept is relatively abstract, the application of AR technology can improve students’ learning performance and stimulate their learning interest. However, existing studies have not fully considered whether AR teaching will have different effects on students with different spatial abilities. Therefore, this study focuses on answering two questions: 1. What are the advantages of AR based geography teaching compared with the traditional teaching? 2. What is the impact of AR-based teaching on students with different spatial abilities? This study involved the design, development, and empirical testing of the AR education software ‘Explore contour lines’. A total of 69 students from grade 7–8 in a middle school participated in this experiment and a two-group pre-and post-test design was adopted. The experimental group used AR technology-supported learning mode, while the control group used traditional teaching methods. It is found that AR based geography teaching can significantly improve student achievement and positively impact learning outcomes, and students with higher spatial ability are more effective in facilitating learning when using AR tools.