Evaluating the Impact of Presentation on Learning and Narrative in AR of Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage exhibits an inherent relationship among various historical concepts and events. Previous studies that integrate augmented reality with cultural heritage have recognized AR as an effective tool for experiencing and learning about cultural heritage. In relation to cultural heritage AR, many researchers use presentations to provide users with diverse historical information and stories. However, too few cases have evaluated the influence of the use of presentations in cultural heritage AR on users’ learning and narratives. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the impact of presentation methods on users’ learning achievements and narrative formation outcomes in the context of cultural heritage AR. To conduct this study, we divided users into three groups and presented them with AR experiences specifically designed with different types of presentations. We conducted uniform user evaluations, assessments of learning abilities, and in-depth interviews across all three groups, comparing the results. Ultimately, the method that had the most significant impact on both user learning and the narrative involved placing key cultural heritage information within virtual environments and repeatedly utilizing visual presentations. In conclusion, the group that adopted this approach exhibited significantly better results in terms of the evaluation of learning effectiveness and learning achievements compared to the other methods. Furthermore, it demonstrated a clear difference in visual graph representations for confirming narratives and word usage frequency, establishing it as a superior presentation method compared to the alternatives. Based on these findings, we offer practical guidelines for enhancing the use of presentations in cultural heritage AR experiences.