Students' perceptions of anatomy as expressed through drawings

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Anatomy remains a foundational subject in the preclinical years of medical and other alliedhealth sciences courses, with exceptionally large volumes of content, and a unique practicalaspect: conducting cadaveric dissection and the use of pre-dissected cadaver specimens.The educational climate can be set by incorporating a suitable introduction to the subject,addressing academically and emotionally underprepared students before the formalcommencement of the Anatomy curriculum. The literature does not mention what such anIntroduction Module should entail.Quantitative means such as questionnaires have been used to evaluate the perceptions andthe emotional and psychological influence of Anatomy. It is often assumed that throughwords meaning is conveyed, providing researchers with data that can be objectivelyinterpreted. But questionnaires are rather pre-emptive of what students might say aboutwhat they experience, and the number of possible answers is restricted. The use ofdrawings might be an opportunity for the students to express their unmediated feelings;strong emotions could appear in the form of images instead of words, allowing students toexperience rather than verbalize feelings especially with a limited vocabulary. Qualitativedata analysis enables the researcher to get at complex layers of meaning, interprets humanbehaviour and experiences beyond the surface appearance, provides rich evidence of thisbehaviour and/or experiences and consequently builds theory inductively from the datasource.The primary purpose of this study is to establish the feasibility of using drawings to explorehow a diverse group of students from the University of Limpopo, Medunsa Campus, viewAnatomy and what insights can be gained from these drawings to inform the IntroductionModule. Students were asked to draw their perceptions of Anatomy after approximately 10weeks of allocated contact time, which includes lectures as well as practical sessions. Atotal of 74% (134 out of 181) drawings were handed in. A matrix-type method of analysisbased on existing literature was formulated to analyse the drawings. Three dimensions wereidentified for each of the drawings: 'what is illustrated, then 'how is the message conveyedor illustrated, and lastly, the 'emotion communicated through the drawing. The reliabilitywas increased with two interpreters who analysed the drawings.Learning approaches, orientation on human life and death, the general emotional state ofindividuals influenced by Anatomy, their course of study, the influence of family and friendsare some of the aspects that were depicted in the drawings. The rich data encounteredthrough the drawings provided curriculum organisers with insights enabling them to implement necessary changes to the Introduction Module in order to improve studentpreparedness for what is to follow during the Anatomy curriculum. Further studies arerecommended on how student drawings can be utilised to inform curricula and in othereducational contexts.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University