High-school Students’ Perceptions and Conceptual Gains from AI-Enhanced Virtual Chemistry Simulations: A Survey-based Study

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in chemistry education to make learning more interactive, personalized, and engaging, helping students understand complex concepts like atoms, molecules, and chemical reactions. This study explored high-school students’ perceptions and conceptual gains from AI-enhanced virtual chemistry simulations. A total of 100 students participated, responding to a structured questionnaire on a five-point scale covering usefulness, conceptual understanding, engagement, ease of use, trust, and overall acceptance. Descriptive statistics summarized their perceptions, while Pearson’s correlation and independent t-tests examined relationships between perceptions, learning gains, and gender differences. Results showed that students had highly positive perceptions, felt more motivated and engaged, and demonstrated improved conceptual understanding. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.58, p < 0.01) was found between students’ perceptions and learning outcomes, with no gender differences. These findings suggest that AI-enhanced virtual simulations are effective tools for making chemistry learning more interactive, understandable, and enjoyable for high-school students.