Extended Reality Applications in Environmental Education: A Field Learning Approach to Understanding Lake Ecosystems

This study examines the design and pedagogical evaluation of Extended Reality (XR) applications, with a primary focus on location-based Augmented Reality (AR). The XR applications were implemented within an environmental education program delivered by the Education Center for the Environment and Sustainability (E.S.E.C.) of Kastoria, aiming to enhance students’ understanding of lake ecosystems and environmental awareness through immersive, situated learning experiences. The development followed the ADDIE instructional design framework and was grounded in principles of experiential and situated learning. The educational intervention was conducted in an authentic field setting along the shoreline of Lake Kastoria and combined location-based AR activities with complementary immersive VR experiences. Evaluation data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 271 primary and secondary school students, employing XR-relevant constructs including Challenge/Satisfaction/Enjoyment, Ease of Use, Usefulness/Knowledge, Experiential and Situated Learning, Interaction/Collaboration, and Intention to Reuse. In addition, accompanying teachers provided supplementary qualitative feedback to support the interpretation of the findings under authentic field conditions. Descriptive statistical analysis indicated consistently high scores across all constructs (M = 3.27–4.40, SD = 0.41–0.64). Pearson correlation analysis revealed strong associations between Experiential/Situated Learning and Usefulness/Knowledge (r = 0.737), Experiential/Situated Learning and Challenge/Satisfaction/Enjoyment (r = 0.642), Intention to Reuse and Challenge/Satisfaction/Enjoyment (r = 0.635), as well as Usefulness/Knowledge and Challenge/Satisfaction/Enjoyment (r = 0.619). Multiple regression analyses further supported key relationships, including Usefulness/Knowledge as a predictor of Experiential/Situated Learning (β = 0.57, p < 0.001), Experiential/Situated Learning as a predictor of Challenge/Satisfaction/Enjoyment (β = 0.47, p < 0.001), and Interaction/Collaboration as a predictor of Intention to Reuse (β = 0.31, p < 0.001). Intention to reuse was mainly associated with interaction and collaboration, enjoyment and motivation, perceived usefulness/knowledge, and ease of use. Overall, the findings indicate that XR-supported outdoor learning is positively associated with key experiential, emotional, social, and perceived learning dimensions when embedded within a coherent pedagogical framework.