Data Sheet 2_Stochastic dynamics of oxygen-hemoglobin binding: insight through facilitated exploration of an agent-based model.zip

Quantitative data were analyzed using the McNemar test and a paired-samples t-test. Eight days after the facilitated session and quiz completion, four focus groups comprising 28 participants were conducted, and the focus group transcripts underwent inductive and deductive thematic analysis to identify common themes.</p>Results<p>The ABM reproduced the expected oxyhemoglobin equilibrium curve and demonstrated stochastic fluctuations that diminished with increasing numbers of hemoglobin molecules.

Quantitative analysis showed that performance improved on all 18 quiz items, with 11 showing statistically significant gains. Mean scores increased from 54.1% to 83.2% (mean difference 29.0%; t(30)=8.7, p=10^-9; d_z=1.56). Qualitative analysis identified three themes: knowledge construction through active exploration, affective responses associated with intellectual engagement, and mechanistic understanding of oxygen-hemoglobin binding.

Findings demonstrated that participants replaced static mental models with an understanding of stochastic oxygen binding and recognized oxygen saturation as a population average rather than the behavior of individual hemoglobin molecules.</p>Conclusion<p>Facilitated agent-based modeling substantially improved conceptual understanding of oxygen–hemoglobin binding. By interactively exploring stochastic molecular dynamics, the intervention promoted active learning, corrected persistent misconceptions, and may provide a transferable framework for understanding emergent physiological phenomena.</p>