Abstract. Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly being recognized as a transformative technology in education, particularly for enhancing virtual laboratory experiences in physics teaching and learning. This study evaluated the impact of AR-enhanced virtual labs, specifically the Traveling Virtual Lab (TVL), on physics education. A quantitative research design was employed, and (n=18) respondents used a systematic sampling strategy to select teachers across different grade levels. The adapted "Student Acceptance of Virtual Laboratory questionnaire" was used to gather data on teachers' perceptions of the appeal and effectiveness of TVL. The findings revealed a strong agreement among teachers regarding the importance of laboratory equipment and hands-on learning experiences in physics education. The TVL received highly positive perceptions from the teachers regarding its appeal and effectiveness in teaching physics concepts. Although no significant differences were found in the appeal of TVL based on teachers' gender or grade level, male teachers perceived TVL to be more effective than female teachers. A strong positive correlation was found between the appeal and effectiveness of TVL in teaching physics concepts. These findings highlight the potential of AR-enhanced virtual labs, particularly TVL, to address challenges in physics education and provide engaging and interactive learning experiences. The study recommends the integration of AR-enhanced virtual labs into physics curricula, professional development programs for teachers, further research on gender disparities, resource allocation for implementation, and ongoing evaluation and refinement of these innovative educational tools.

Keywords: Augmented Reality; Education; Interactive; Learning; Physics teaching; Virtual labs