The use of 3D-printed instructional materials in active learning activities within science lessons

This study aims to investigate the effect of active learning activities utilizing 3D-printed instructional materials on students’ academic achievement and to explore their perceptions of these activities in science lessons. Specifically, the research focuses on the 6th-grade unit “Systems in Our Body and Health,” where 3D-printed instructional materials were produced and integrated into classroom activities. The study was structured as a “sequential mixed research design” since qualitative and quantitative data were collected one after the other. The experimental group, which received the intervention, comprised 30 students, while the control group, which underwent the conventional science lesson process, included 28 students. Students who engaged in active learning activities utilizing 3D-printed instructional materials in the science lessons demonstrated higher academic achievement compared to their peers who did not participate. In the semi-structured interviews, the experimental group students commented that the activities helped them understand the subject because 3D materials allowed them to see and touch the content from different angles.