Self-evaluative Scientific Modeling in an Outreach Gene Technology Laboratory

Table 6 Dependent variables for both modellers-1 and modellers-2, analyzed with regard to knowledge scores, difference variables, and learning success. Overall knowledge items and model-related items only were differentiated

Dependent variable	Knowledge
	Overall knowledge items (max. 30)		Model-related knowledge items (max. 18)
	Modellers-1	Modellers-2	Modellers-1	Modellers-2
	*Mdn* (25th/75th P)	*Mdn* (25th/75th P)	*Mdn* (25th/75th P)	*Mdn* (25th/75th P)
T0^a T1^b T2^c	10.3 (8.0/13.0) 20.6 (18.0/23.0) 16.9 (13.0/20.0)	6.3 (4.0/8.0) 19.4 (16.0/22.0) 17.2 (15.0/19.0)	5.7 (4.0/8.0) 13.9 (12.0/15.0) 10.9 (9.0/13.0)	3.8 (2.0/5.0) 12.8 (11.0/15.0) 10.5 (9.0/12.0)
Difference variables
	Overall knowledge Items (max. 30)^j		Model-related knowledge Items (max. 18)^j
Increase in knowledge^d Retention rate^e	9.9 (7.0/12.3) 6.9 (4.0/9.0)	13.1 (9.0/16.0) 10.4 (8.0/13.0)	7.8 (6.0/10.0) 5.4 (3.0/7.0)	9.1 (7.0/11.0) 6.6 (4.0/8.0)
Learning success
	Overall knowledge items (max. 30)		Model-related knowledge items (max. 18)^j
Actual learning success^f	6.7 (4.2/8.6)	8.7 (5.1/11.9)^h	3.4 (2.4/4.7)	3.9 (2.4/5.5)
Persistent learning success^g	3.7 (1.8/5.9)	6.0 (3.7/7.9)ⁱ	1.9 (1.0/3.2)	2.3 (1.2/3.3)

^aMWU test overall knowledge: Z = − 7.90; p < .001; r = .552 and model-related items Z = − 5.95; p < .001; r = .439%)
^bMWU test overall knowledge: Z = − 2.26; p = .024; r = .185 and model-related items Z = − 2.92; p = .004; r = .224
^cMWU test overall knowledge: Z = − 0.271; p = .786 and model-related items Z = − 1.59; p = .111
^dScore: T1–T0; MWU test overall knowledge: Z = − 4.99; p < .001; r = .386 and model-related items Z = − 2.93; p = .003; r = .270
^eScore: T2–T0; MWU test overall knowledge: Z = − 6.41; p < .001; r = .499 and model-related items Z = − 2.82; p = .005; r = .304
^fActual learning success: (T1 − T0) × (T1/30) for overall knowledge and (T1 − T0) × (T1/18) for model-related knowledge items
^gPersistent learning success: (T2 − T0) × (T2/30) for overall knowledge and (T2 − T0) × (T2/18) for model-related knowledge items
^hMWU test overall knowledge items: Z = −3.36; p = .001; r = .293
ⁱMWU test overall knowledge items: Z = − 5.23; p < .001; r = .436
^jPercentage share of correctly answered items: increase in knowledge overall modellers-1 and modellers-2 (33%, 44%) < model-related modellers-1 and modellers-2 (43%, 51%); retention rate overall modellers-1 and modellers-2 (23%, 35%) < model-related modellers-1 and modellers-2 (30%, 37%)