Anatomy Dissection Course Improves the Initially Lower Levels of Visual-Spatial Abilities of Medical Undergraduates

Autor/inn/en	Bogomolova, Katerina; Hierck, Beerend P.; van der Hage, Jos A.; Hovius, Steven E. R.
Titel	Anatomy Dissection Course Improves the Initially Lower Levels of Visual-Spatial Abilities of Medical Undergraduates
Quelle	In: Anatomical Sciences Education, 13 (2020) 3, S.333-342 (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Bogomolova, Katerina)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1935-9772
DOI	10.1002/ase.1913
Schlagwörter	Anatomy; Laboratory Procedures; Visual Acuity; Spatial Ability; Medical Students; Undergraduate Students; Outcomes of Education; Student Improvement; Visualization; Cognitive Tests; Scores + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Anatomie; Laboruntersuchung; Optisches Differenzierungsvermögen; Räumliches Vorstellungsvermögen; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Visualisation; Visualisierung; Kognitiver Fähigkeitstest
Abstract	Visual-spatial abilities are considered a successful predictor in anatomy learning. Previous research suggest that visual-spatial abilities can be trained, and the magnitude of improvement can be affected by initial levels of spatial skills. This case-control study aimed to evaluate (1) the impact of an extra-curricular anatomy dissection course on visual-spatial abilities of medical undergraduates and (2) the magnitude of improvement in students with initially lower levels of visual-spatial abilities, and (3) whether the choice for the course was related to visual-spatial abilities. Course participants (n = 45) and controls (n = 65) were first and second-year medical undergraduates who performed a Mental Rotations Test (MRT) before and 10 weeks after the course. At baseline, there was no significant difference in MRT scores between course participants and controls. At the end of the course, participants achieved a greater improvement than controls (first-year: [Delta]6.0 ± 4.1 vs. [Delta]4.9 ± 3.2; ANCOVA, "P" = 0.019, Cohen's "d" = 0.41; second-year: [Delta]6.5 ± 3.3 vs. [Delta]6.1 ± 4.0; "P" = 0.03, Cohen's "d" = 0.11). Individuals with initially lower scores on the MRT pretest showed the largest improvement ([Delta]8.4 ± 2.3 vs. [Delta]6.8 ± 2.8; "P" = 0.011, Cohen's "d" = 0.61). In summary, (1) an anatomy dissection course improved visual-spatial abilities of medical undergraduates; (2) a substantial improvement was observed in individuals with initially lower scores on the visual-spatial abilities test indicating a different trajectory of improvement; (3) students' preferences for attending extracurricular anatomy dissection course was not driven by visual-spatial abilities. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01