Publication Details
Abstract
Global environmental challenges require school education to develop not only students’ ecological knowledge, but also their values, decision-making skills, and responsible behavior toward nature. Traditional text- and image-based instruction does not always allow learners to understand complex, long-term, or hardly observable ecological processes. Objective. This article aims to substantiate the theoretical foundations for using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies in the development of ecological competencies in school education. Methods. The study is designed as a conceptual and theoretical analysis. Pedagogical, methodological, and psychological sources on ecological competence, digital education, AR/VR tools, constructivist learning, visual learning, activity-based learning, and immersive learning were analyzed, compared, generalized, and systematized. Results. The analysis identifies four structural components of ecological competence: cognitive, activity-based, value-motivational, and behavioral. AR/VR technologies can support these components by visualizing ecological objects, modeling cause-and-effect relations, strengthening ecological empathy, and organizing practice-oriented decision-making tasks. Conclusion. AR/VR technologies should not be treated as a decorative digital supplement. Their educational value depends on alignment with lesson objectives, age-appropriate design, teacher readiness, reflection, and the integration of virtual tasks with real ecological actions.