Abstract
Persistent challenges within South African science education continue to shape secondary school learners’ experiences of Chemistry. This is especially evident in topics such as chemical bonding, which is considered a foundation to understanding Chemistry. However, the topic remains conceptually demanding to learners because of its abstract and sub-microscopic nature. Chemistry Grade 10 learners are required to engage with chemical processes that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and this difficulty is further intensified by the linguistic diversity in classrooms where English serves as the main language of instruction. Many Chemistry Grade 10 learners interpret complex scientific terminology in a second or third language while trying to visualise atomic interactions. This challenge often leads to memorisation replacing meaningful engagement, causing misconceptions in ionic and covalent bonding to persist.
In response to both the cognitive and linguistic barriers, this study’s primary aim was to design and evaluate an Augmented Reality (AR) application that incorporates translanguaging across four South African languages, including English, Afrikaans, Zulu, and Northern Sotho, in order to better support learners' understanding of chemistry. A mixed-methods research design was adopted to provide a comprehensive account of both learning outcomes and learner experiences. The development process of the app followed the ADDIE instructional design model (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate). Then, this app was implemented in two secondary schools with a purposive sample of 40 Chemistry Grade 10 learners participating in the intervention.
Quantitative data were collected using the Bonding Representations Inventory instrument, which was administered as a pretest and post-test. Statistical analysis was conducted in IBM SPSS, which included tests of normality and a paired sample t-test. The results revealed a statistically significant improvement in post-test scores with p less than .001 and a meaningful effect size, indicating that engagement with the AR application was associated with strengthened understanding of bonding concepts.
Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured focus group interviews, providing further insight into learners’ experiences. The thematic analysis revealed that the animated 3D visualisations enabled learners to observe electron movement in...