The role of digital literacy in augmented, virtual, and mixed reality in popular science education: a review study and an educational framework development

Abstract

This study aims to bridge the gap between extended reality (XR) and digital literacy (DL) in popular science education and further develop a DL–XR framework. XR includes augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR, VR, and MR), which has received increased attention and has been used for educational purposes in recent years. However, the studies of XR in popular science education and its impact on students are scant. It is also challenging to find studies entailing XR and DL in education. This study not only offers an overview of the status quo of XR education but also is the first research presenting a referential framework that systematically integrates the many dimensions of XR and DL for future research and educational practices. XR has been extensively used in museums, benefiting users with immersive, authentic, hands-on, and interactive experiences. In the DL–XR framework, based on the variations of “individual-group” and “passive consumption-active creation”, eight dimensions of DL linked to XR are proposed, including “access and understanding”, “evaluation”, “ethics and well-being”, “interaction”, “collaboration”, “creation”, “problem-solving”, and “civic engagement and responsibility”. In the nurturing of DL, evidence revealed that XR is mostly used for learners to access knowledge/information and interact with virtual items; nonetheless, its applications for active creation, problem-solving, and collaboration are seldom prioritised. This study further proposes integrating project-based learning into XR pedagogical practices, which can maximise its impact on learning and empower the learners to achieve advanced levels of DL.

Bibliometric Analysis: Augmented Reality in Science Education Research Trends

“…The VOS Viewer offers bibliometric analysis mapping with three different visualizations, including the overlay visualization mentioned (see Figure 12). Based on Figure 12, Augmented Reality research is more related to clinical articles (Jeffers et al, 2022;Lau et al, 2023), extended reality (Chang et al, 2023;Gurses et al, 2023;Spadoni et al, 2022), likert scale (Soyka & Simons, 2022;Zatarain-Cabada et al, 2023), and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (De Benedictis et al, 2023;Shahbaz et al, 2023). Additionally, Augmented Reality research is applied from early childhood education to higher education levels (Senduk et al, 2016).…”

Implementation of Digital Science and Literacy Teaching in Developing Science Literacy in Middle School Students in Indonesia

“…By combining traditional teaching methods with digital tools, educators can encourage a blended learning approach that increases engagement and retention [22]. The use of digital resources also enables personalized learning experiences, allowing students to explore scientific concepts at their own pace and according to their individual interests [23]. The interactive and multimedia nature of digital resources can contribute to a deeper understanding of scientific principles [24].…”

Diversity, equity and inclusion in the sport metaverse

“…Research across contexts, including college sports, professional coaches and event management staff, has shown that human capital investments are related to improved career outcomes DEI in the sport metaverse (Breuer et al, 2022;Kaplanidou et al, 2021;Weight et al, 2021). Digital literacy is one source of human capital that is vital in the new economy (Chang et al, 2023). Experience and immersion in the sport metaverse has the potential to increase people's digital literacy, thereby increasing their career prospects.…”