Evaluating Augmented Reality Activities Designed Within the 5E Model in Biology Education

The 5E model (1. Engagement; 2. Exploration; 3. Explanation; 4. Elaboration; 5. Evaluation) is a well-known instructional framework for promoting active learning. Augmented reality (AR) has been integrated into the educational process to support interactive learning. Building on these foundations, this study examines the usability of an AR application developed within the framework of the 5E instructional model to support biology in high school. The proposed AR app consists of a structured sequence of activities aligned with the 5E stages. Moreover, a usability study was conducted to evaluate the app’s usability among 195 users across three participant groups emerging from various educational levels and with different backgrounds: education students (novice adults), engineering students (expert adults), and 1st year high school students (students). The findings indicate perceived acceptable usability, with younger and less experienced users indicating the need for more guidance. Rather than evaluating learning outcomes or pedagogical effectiveness, this study focuses on investigating usability perceptions and interactions of the AR app designed within the 5E learning model. The findings highlight usability-related issues relevant to the design of AR applications and emphasize the importance of combining user-centered design with instructional frameworks in secondary education.