Selective Cognitive and Affective Benefits of 3D-Printed Bacteriophage T4 Models in High School Molecular Biology Instruction: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Authors

Lele Xu, Yongqin Li, Liyun Wang, Changgeng Yang

Published in

CBE life sciences education. Volume 25. Issue 4. Pages ar45. Epub Oct 23, 2026.

Abstract

Teaching abstract molecular concepts poses persistent challenges in high school biology education. This study evaluated a custom-developed three-dimensional (3D) bacteriophage T4 model for teaching the Hershey-Chase experiment in a Grade 11 classroom. Using a quasi-experimental design, 92 students were assigned to either model-based instruction (n = 46) incorporating hands-on assembly of a disassemblable 3D-printed phage model, or conventional instruction (n = 46). Pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessed conceptual understanding and affective outcomes. ANCOVA revealed no significant overall cognitive difference between groups, F_{(1, 89)} = 1.42, p = 0.237. However, item-level analysis showed the model group significantly outperformed on structural component identification (52.2% vs 26.1%, p = 0.018, ϕ = 0.27). Affective outcomes significantly favored the model condition, including lesson enjoyment (p = 0.038), model construction interest (p = 0.028), perceived knowledge mastery (p = 0.033), perceived instructional utility (p = 0.028), and modeling skill need (p = 0.049). These findings suggest that curriculum-aligned 3D model-based instruction selectively enhances representational competence for spatially complex concepts and improves situational affective engagement.

PMID:
42912676
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Oct 2026.

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