Assessing the impact of integrating augmented reality technology and animated multidimensional concept maps into multimedia learning materials for enhancing positive emotions and cognitive achievements

The importance of learners’ emotions in the learning process has been widely recognized in the literature. Previous studies have highlighted the critical role of emotions in shaping students’ learning experiences. However, the specific emotional responses elicited during learning and the influence of different learning environments on these emotions have only recently attracted increasing research attention. This study investigated the effectiveness of multimedia learning materials integrating augmented reality (AR) technology with animated multidimensional concept maps in enhancing students’ positive emotions and cognitive achievement in statistics learning. A true experimental design was adopted. A total of 157 participants from Taiwan were recruited through public solicitation and randomly assigned to eight experimental groups based on two emotional induction conditions and four types of multimedia learning materials. The results indicate that the AR-integrated animated multidimensional concept map was significantly more effective in promoting students’ positive emotions than the other three multimedia learning materials. In addition, both the AR-integrated animated multidimensional concept map and the animated multidimensional concept map significantly improved students’ learning achievement. The findings further revealed that the type of multimedia learning material had significant direct effects on both students’ positive emotions and academic achievement. However, positive emotions did not mediate the relationship between multimedia learning materials and academic achievement. These findings suggest that integrating AR with animated multidimensional concept maps has considerable educational potential for statistics instruction by fostering more positive emotional experiences while simultaneously enhancing students’ cognitive achievement.