# Extended Reality in Applied Sciences Education: A Systematic Review
## 4 Discussion  
Phase-Based XR Technology Applications in Applied Sciences Education: Implications and Strategic Recommendations  
To answer RQ1, our findings indicate that the distribution of XR applications varies significantly across educational levels (Figure 4). Higher education emerges as the core setting for XR technology application, largely due to the abstract and complex nature of teaching objectives in this domain. The immersive features of VR and MR technologies make them particularly well-suited for simulating highly complex scenarios, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of abstract theories and enhancing practical skills. [PERSON] et al. (2021) noted that VR and AR technologies are well-suited for medical education, such as surgical simulations, which not only improve students' clinical responsiveness but also enhance safety [65]. Specifically, MR technologies have been applied in medical and architectural fields, assisting in high-risk tasks like suturing techniques and internal body anatomy learning [9, 64]. In architecture, MR enhances precision in measurements such as distance, offering a highly immersive learning environment [65]. Additionally, researchers increasingly prefer combining multiple technologies, integrating VR and AR to evaluate their potential in enhancing educational outcomes [13, 16, 36, 38]. In high school education, AR is more prominently applied compared to VR, likely due to the inclusion of complex and abstract scientific concepts in high school curricula, such as atomic structures and molecular models in chemistry [60]. AR allows students to intuitively understand these abstract concepts while maintaining interactivity, further enhancing engagement and learning outcomes [27]. AR also improves safety in chemistry experiments by simulating reactions involving corrosive, flammable, or explosive materials, thereby reducing risks and reliance on experimental equipment--an important solution for resource-limited schools [60]. In contrast, the adoption of VR in secondary and elementary education remains limited due to its higher hardware requirements and costs. AR, on the other hand, is more cost-effective as it can be operated through students' smartphones or tablets, integrating seamlessly with the real world to enhance the practicality of learning content [27]. In primary and secondary education, the extensive use of AR technologies highlights their advantages in foundational education. Due to their ease of operation and relatively low hardware requirements, AR technologies provide practical and innovative teaching solutions for resource-constrained primary and secondary schools. At the junior high level, where students require concrete representations of learning content, the visualization and interactivity of AR make it an ideal choice [66]. Furthermore, research has shown that AR not only significantly enhances student engagement but also effectively cultivates problem-solving skills and critical thinking, injecting new vitality and possibilities into foundational education. In addition to examining the phase-based distribution of XR technologies, we also analyzed the authors' keywords from our selected articles to identify emerging topics. Figure 10 presents a word cloud generated from all extracted keywords across the reviewed studies, offering a visual representation of research trends and highlighting frequently occurring terms. Given the diverse range of keywords associated with each article, Table A2 includes only keywords that appeared in more than one study (with a frequency greater than one). Table 14 summarizes the most frequently occurring keywords, while Figure 10 presents a word cloud illustrating their relative prominence. \"Virtual reality\" (24 mentions) and \"augmented reality\" (16 mentions) remain the most common terms, reflecting the established focus on these two XR modalities. Meanwhile, keywords such as \"e-learning\", \"gamification\", and \"simulation\" suggest a growing interest in interactive and digitally integrated teaching methods.