3D MODELS FOR EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION
CURRENT RESEARCH
This website is part of my thesis research, which focuses on the potential of 3D models (specifically 3D-modeled fossils) to make the Earth Sciences more accessible. The use of 3D models in the classroom alongside traditional lecture material to increase students’ understanding of processes and concepts in various STEM fields has been well-documented, and my activities are designed to be flexible in order to cater to students with varying levels of prior experience. They can be utilized in many different ways — for example, they can be used as a follow-up activity after a homeschooling family visits a natural history museum, incorporated into a pre-existing biology curriculum at a public school, or even utilized by independent learners of any age as a tool for exploration outside of a traditional educational program.
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To better understand the strengths of this style of activity, I compared the its effectiveness at communicating information against a traditional lecture format, conducting anonymous surveys before and after each group completed either the activity or the lecture. After collecting data, I performed a preliminary analysis by calculating and graphing the scale scores (averages within categories) for each student for both the "before" and "after" surveys.
The survey questions were assigned into three categories: (1) engagement (e.g. “I feel like I belong in science classes”), (2) belief (e.g. “I believe science classes are important”), and (3) understanding (e.g. “I have a strong understanding of evolution and natural selection”).
As you can see, the Engagement scale scores of students who participated in my interactive activity also increased more significantly than those of the students who sat for a lecture, with one notable exception -- a student who self-identified as disliking and fearing science classes, and who gave feedback on the activity that suggested a strong aversion and anxiety towards open-ended questions and the scientific process.
The mean of the Belief scale scores of students who participated in my interactive activity remained consistent between the pre- and post-learning surveys, and was likely negatively affected by two outliers. The Belief scale scores of the lecture group also did not change significantly, with some students' scores decreasing and some increasing.
Finally, the Understanding scale scores of students who participated in my interactive activity increased far more significantly than those of the students who sat for a lecture. Although there were still some outliers in the model group whose scores remained low, they did still increase slightly from their pre-learning survey scale scores.
Overall, the students who participated in my interactive activity showed more consistent and more significant improvements in every area, including attitudes towards science classes, self-confidence and self-efficacy in science learning, and, most significantly, comprehension and retention of important geologic and paleontological concepts.