Grounded in protection motivation theory, this study investigates the influence mechanisms of different instructional media and instructional models on students’ green behavior intentions. Employing a 2 (Instructional Media: Paper-based/Digital) × 2 (Instructional Model: Lecture-Based/Gamified) between-subjects experimental design, it examines the effects of instructional media and instructional models in sustainable laboratory safety education on students’ green behavior intentions, as well as the mediating role of protection motivation decision factors (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, response efficacy, self-efficacy). The results indicate that instructional media influence students’ intention to engage in green behaviors through perceived severity, whereas instructional models positively affect this intention by enhancing self-efficacy. Aligning instructional media with instructional models positively impacts students’ green behavior intention. In the process of sustainable laboratory safety education, the interaction and applicability of multiple factors within instructional strategies should be considered.