Inquiry learning is a theory rooted in the idea that learners inherently are curious about the world and learning occurs through exploration/discovery, which makes knowledge result from their own conclusions rather than simple didactic transmission. Knowledge formed in this way is often more meaningful, exciting, satisfying and makes learners more confident in their own abilities while promoting a collaborative learning experience with others (Balim, 2009).

Augmented reality learning experiences are often pre-loaded with all relevant information, meaning that students are empowered to explore new knowledge at their own pace and according to their interests, in alignment with inquiry learning. The virtual nature of AR also means that users can explore without fear of real-life consequences, allowing for riskier and more rewarding learning opportunities.

Constructivism is the assumption that there is a multitude of realities that exist and that it is the role of the knowledge seeker to create understanding. In this model, learning is personally contextual and builds upon prior knowledge, combined with social structure/understanding to create a new understanding. Through a constructivist lens, it becomes a necessity to differentiate learning into personalized experiences for it to be meaningful (Cleaver & Ballantyne, 2014).

Many augmented reality experiences take into account the user's device settings, often their mobile device. This automatically provides differentiation for things like language, visual cues, assistive touch or other learning software, providing differentiated learning experiences. As previously mentioned, information is typically pre-loaded into the AR experience. Learners can choose the scope and depth to which they explore a certain topic, allowing them to self-differentiate the knowledge and consume it at their own pace.

Gamification is an educational context in which game-like attributes are attributed to non-game activities in order to increase learner engagement and enjoyment of the learning experience. By designing learning experiences around gamification, educators often unintentionally design more meaningful learning opportunities that encourage behaviours or attitudes (Landers, 2015).

Augmented reality can be used to overlay game assets, such as the popular Pokémon Go game where players travel the real world to collect virtual items and characters. Studies show that AR can drastically alter learning habits by providing incentives for particular learning behaviours, as well as increasing the frequency and likelihood of learners voluntarily practicing these learning habits since they are perceived as enjoyable (Guo et al., 2022).