Perceived advantages of 3D lessons in constructive learning for South African student teachers encountering learning barriers

Research shows that three-dimensional (3D)-animated lessons can contribute to student teachers’ effective learning and comprehension, regardless of the learning barriers they experience. Student teachers majoring in the subject Life Sciences in General Subject Didactics viewed 3D images of the heart during lectures. The 3D images employed in the lessons enabled student teachers to interact and perform longitudinal and cross-sections of the 3D images in order to enhance their understanding of difficult concepts. In this study, quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed. Selected participants (n?=?26) were interviewed and requested to indicate the advantages of 3D lessons for effective learning. These advantages were grouped according to the universal design for learning model, and then listed in a questionnaire that was completed by all participants (n?=?88). The results indicated that 3D animations improved their understanding of concepts regardless of the learning barriers they encountered. They also agreed that their attention span improved, they were more interested in the topic, developed a deeper understanding of the content, were actively involved in the lesson and tended to ask more complex questions.