Information and communication technologies have been rapidly developing and are currently adopted in many aspects of people’s contemporary lives. With the goals to enhance students’ interest and motivation in learning as well as their academic performance, the field of education has also been attempting to utilize various forms of modern technologies in and outside of classrooms. Among different forms of technology, interactive technologies, such as AR technology, have been one of the fastest growing and most popular forms, owing to the high level of interaction and the brand-new experiences that can be provided. AR technologies provide the feature of 3D visualization of virtual objects which is highly applicable to high school education in geology and geography.This study explores using an AR sandbox, an AR technology device designed to help create topography models with sand. In real-time, augmentation can be done to visualize contour lines, simulated water, and elevations to help create physical features within the device. Current studies that explore the use of AR sandbox have focused mainly on the practical applications of the device in terms of design, execution, and implementation, and the effectiveness of the device in enhancing students’ learning performance and outcomes has rarely been studied. To measure students' performance, a pre-test and post-test assessment analysis, a questionnaire survey, and a semi-structured group interview were conducted to collect the relevant data. A total of 126 students from 7 local secondary schools were recruited to participate in the study. Students were randomly allocated to classes in two formats and two geographical topics, including a traditional class and an AR sandbox class to compare the traditional and interactive technology approaches in teaching. The two geographical topics were map reading and farming. To further understand how the device may improve students’ performance in class, the potential determinants of