The effect of animation development and animation use on student success in the subject of photosynthesis

The study aimed to develop a 3D animation on photosynthesis, assess its impact on 12th-grade students' academic achievements, and gauge student opinions on its usage. The animation was created as an educational tool in 3D using Autodesk Maya 2023 and Adobe After Effects 2022 software. Convenient sampling, a non-probability sampling method, was employed. The study group comprised 108 12th-grade students studying in Kayseri province during the 2022-2023 academic year. The research design followed a pre-test post-test control group experimental design, with 54 students in the experimental group and 54 in the control group. The experimental group received instruction using the animation-supported teaching method, while the control group followed the regular Biology curriculum. Academic achievements were assessed using a photosynthesis-specific achievement test administered as a pre-test and post-test for both groups. Additionally, the experimental group answered open-ended questions about the 3D photosynthesis animation. Data analysis utilized the "Statistical functions (scipy.stats)" module in Python 3.10. Statistical tests included Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit, Cohen's d effect size, Shapiro-Wilk normality, and Non-Parametric Mann Whitney-U tests. The results revealed significantly higher academic success in the experimental group compared to the control group, suggesting a positive impact of the developed animation on student achievement in photosynthesis. Students expressed favorable views on the use of animations in lessons. Based on these findings, further research investigating the impact of animation on student achievement is recommended.