Yang, Yang;
Du, Wenfei;
Mavrikis, Manolis;
Geraniou, Eirini;
(2025)
Spatial Skill Development Through Augmented Reality in Mathematics Education: A Scoping Review.
Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education
10.1007/s40751-025-00187-8.
(In press).
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Abstract
Spatial skills are widely recognised as foundational to success in mathematics, particularly in topics such as geometry, measurement, and visual modelling. In recent years, augmented reality (AR) has emerged as a promising educational technology capable of supporting spatial thinking through embodied and interactive experiences. However, existing research on AR’s role in mathematics education remains fragmented, with limited understanding of when, how, and for whom it is most effective. This study conducted a scoping review of 23 peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2024 and analysed them across five key dimensions: research trends, learning activities, AR tools, methodological approaches, and reported outcomes. The review identifies a growing global interest in AR for supporting spatial skills, particularly in Asia and Europe, and highlights its application across a range of educational levels and mathematical domains, especially in primary and junior secondary geometry and measurement. While many studies reported positive effects of AR on spatial skill development, findings remain inconsistent. These discrepancies appear to reflect not only differences in tool design and intervention period, but also a lack of attention to contextual factors, measurement approaches, and the learning process. By synthesising findings and gaps in the literature, this review contributes a more nuanced understanding of the conditions under which AR supports spatial skill development in mathematics education. In doing so, the paper highlights the need for future research to broaden content areas, improve assessment sensitivity, document carefully and investigate contextual variables, and examine learning processes in greater depth.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Spatial Skill Development Through Augmented Reality in Mathematics Education: A Scoping Review |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s40751-025-00187-8 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s40751-025-00187-8 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © The Author(s), 2025. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Augmented reality, Spatial skills Mathematics education. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Culture, Communication and Media |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10219004 |
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