Studying natural history far from the museum: the impact of 3D models on teaching, learning, and motivation

ABSTRACT

Natural history museums (NHM) are important for students’ learning and motivation. However, the lack or scarcity of NHMs in countries with emerging markets may hamper the learning process. Virtual 3D models represent an important tool to counterbalance the lack of access of students to NHMs. Our study aims to understand if the use of 3D models may help in the motivation and learning of zoology. The study comprised three groups: (i) control group , where the participants only received classes of frontal teaching; (ii) practice group , where participants received, in addition to traditional classes, practical classes with biological material; (iii) 3D model group , where participants received the traditional class plus practical classes with 3D models of amphibian species. We used pre-questionnaires and post-questionnaires as an educational assessment method. Then we performed a two-way ANOVA test between the experimental groups. All three groups showed equivalent levels of motivation after the classes. Nevertheless, the 3D model and Practice groups showed a significant (p < 0.001) increase in learning performance when compared to the control group, demonstrating the relevance of 3D models in the teaching of zoology especially in institutions distant from large biological collections.

KEYWORDS:

• Amphibians
• biological collections
• education
• virtual models

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Escola Colégio Professor Gonçalo Rollemberg Leite for opening the doors to implement this work. We thank the herpetological collection at the Federal University of Sergipe (Brazil) and Professor Dr Renato Gomes Faria, curator of the collection, for making specimens available. We dedicate this work to the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We also want to dedicate the present paper to Claudio Juan Bidau, who has inspired us to pursue science.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

TFA and PAM thanks Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico under Grant [202116/2014-0 and 431463/2016-6 respectiblity]. KMSAC thanks Serrapilheira for the financial support.