Development and Effectiveness Analysis of DNA Model Program Using 4D-Frame for High School Students: Focusing on Learner-centered Questions and Concept Learning

Objectives The purpose of this study is to develop a DNA model program using 4D-Frame for high school students and to analyze learner-centered question creation, concept learning and knowledge retention effects. Methods The prograsm was applied to 147 second-year students. DNA model production activity class using 4D-Frame was applied to the experimental group and DNA model production activity using the paper model was applied to the control group. Class effectiveness analysis was conducted on 93 students who completed both in-class learning activity sheet and one month after class activity sheet. Learner-centered question creation, concept learning, and knowledge retention effects were analyzed using a question analysis frame and a statistical program based on questions and answers written in the learning activity sheet. For class satisfaction analysis, an independent sample t-test was conducted. Results As a result of analyzing the creation of learner-centered questions from in-class learning activity sheet and one month after class activity sheet, the experimental group shows more higher level of question type proportion than the control group at both the knowledge type and cognitive process type. As a result, there is a statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in both types in the in-class learning activity sheet. But there is a statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group only in the knowledge type in the one month after class learning activity sheet. As a result of concept learning analysis from in-class learning activity sheet, the experimental group shows more concept learning and inter-concept associations, and efficient association expansion by rapidly associating more concepts per concept than the control group. As a result of concept learning analysis from one month after class learning activity sheet, the experimental group remembers more concepts and inter-concept associations than the control group. Also, the association expansion between concepts of the experimental group occurs more rapidly than that of the control group, resulting in a great knowledge retention effect. Class satisfaction is higher in the average of the experimental group (4.16±0.58) than in that of the control group(3.84±0.51), and there is a statistically significant difference between them as a result of the independent sample t-test (p&lt;.01). Through this, it can be confirmed that DNA model program using 4D-Frame provides greater satisfaction than the existing DNA model program using the paper. Conclusions A DNA model program using 4D-Frame that can be explored and recalled the components of DNA and lead the production from elemental units to entire forms is developed. As a result of applying the program, the experimental group using 4D-Frame creates more learner-centered question with a higher level of intellectual thinking and cognitive activity and shows more concept learning and knowledge retention effects than the control group using paper-making set, which simply needed to be pasted. In addition, the experimental group shows more significantly higher class satisfaction. As a follow-up study, It is expected that this program will be referenced in research to develop classes and teaching tools that can create questions containing high levels of intellectual thinking and cognitive activities for students, enable learning to effectively understand and familiarize abstract concepts, and enhance interest and satisfaction.