This study was designed to investigate the effects of two instructional approaches (4C-ID versus conventional) on learners’ knowledge-acquisition and learning transfer of the electrical circuits content in Physics. Participants were 129 9th graders from a secondary school in Lisbon, M = 14.3 years, SD = 0.54. The participants were divided in two groups: an experimental group constituted three intact classes (n = 78); and a control group constituted two intact classes (n = 51). The experimental group was taught using a digital learning environment designed with the 4C-ID model principles while the control group learned the same contents through a conventional method. We assessed the students’ performance (knowledge-acquisition and transfer), the perceived cognitive load, and the instructional efficiency. Results indicated that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group on a knowledge-acquisition test and in a learning transfer test. They also perceived a less cognitive load in the transfer test and the learning environment developed with the 4C-ID model proved to be more instructional efficient than the conventional method.

This study investigates the effectiveness of using augmented reality (AR), combined with guided inquiry and the Pecha Kucha technique, on students’ academic outcomes when learning meiosis. The main objective was to analyse whether this combination presents significant differences in the academic performance of students in the experimental group (EG) compared to the control group (CG), who did not use AR. The research employed a quasi-experimental design involving three 11th-grade classes from a secondary school in Lisbon. Knowledge tests were administered post-intervention and at follow-up to assess the impact. To ensure the normality of the distributions, a Shapiro–Wilk test was applied and, to guarantee the homogeneity of variances, a Levene test was utilised. Independent and paired sample t-tests were performed. The results indicated that the innovative approach, combining AR with guided inquiry and Pecha Kucha, enhanced student engagement and led to improved academic performance. The study highlights the importance of teacher support during guided inquiry, showing that proper guidance maximises learning outcomes. Findings suggest that integrating active methodologies and current technologies can enrich Biology teaching and improve understanding of complex concepts like meiosis. This research contributes to existing literature by demonstrating the potential of AR, guided inquiry, and the Pecha Kucha technique in enhancing educational outcomes.

Este artigo apresenta os resultados de uma revisão sistemática da literatura sobre os efeitos da utilização da realidade aumentada (RA) na aprendizagem dos estudantes de ciências (Ciências Naturais e Biologia) do 3.ºciclo do ensino básico e do ensino secundário. Foi utilizada a metodologia PRISMA, tendo sido selecionados 10 artigos de revistas indexadas, num período de tempo entre 2010 e 2022. As bases de dados consultadas foram Scopus, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, EBSCO e Web of Science. A maioria dos artigos selecionados (n=8), após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão, utilizou uma metodologia experimental. Os resultados indicam que a RA teve efeitos positivos na aprendizagem e motivação dos estudantes, bem como noutras variáveis como as competências visuoespaciais e o envolvimento dos estudantes nas tarefas de aprendizagem.

Difficulties in learning computer programming for novices is a subject of abundant scientific literature. These difficulties seem to be accentuated in students whose academic choice is not computation, like architecture students. However, they need to study programming, since it is part of the new academic curricula. The results presented here are part of a PhD research, which investigates the achievement motivation and the acquisition and transfer of programming knowledge from an online environment designed on the basis of the 4C-ID instructional design model. These results are a sociodemographic analysis, and the technological competence of these subjects. We concluded that most of the students of our sample do not know how to auto assess their ICT expertise level, because they believed that they had sufficient computational knowledge for their needs. However, most of them told that they had difficulties creating codes. However, they recognized the importance of learning to program, thought it was valuable for architectural students, and felt motivated to acquire this new skill.