Student Perspectives on General Learning Compared to Learning Anatomy
Authors: Notebaert Andrew 
Published: November 2023

Student perspectives on learning in general may be different from their perspectives on learning specific content areas such as anatomy, and rightfully so, as learning different content has been shown to be facilitated through specific means. However, it is important to know how the students are forming these opinions, as it may not be founded on reputable pedagogical evidence. I was interested in examining student ideas on learning and employed qualitative research methods to identify themes relating to learning anatomy and learning in general. The purpose of this study was to examine student ideas about learning and learning anatomy before and after the course. Student volunteers from four different anatomy courses participated in two interviews, one at the start of their course and another at the end of the course prior to their final. Two courses were introductory undergraduate anatomy courses, one was an upper level undergraduate course and one was a graduate level course. The interviews were semi‐structured with a focus on the student's ideas about learning in general and specifically about learning anatomy. Questions also focused on how they learned the content as well as what resources they used to learn. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a constant comparative method. A total of 23 students completed both interviews. When students described their ideas of learning, most spoke of information or knowledge acquisition but many also focused on the purpose of learning rather than a definition. Most students indicated that interaction with the instructor was important for learning but a majority also spoke of repetition as key. During the follow‐up interview, most of the students stood by their previous statements, but a few did expand by explaining that learning was more of a process. When asked about learning anatomy specifically, most students said it required memorization and repetition, and none of the students mentioned that they would employ active learning strategies. Several students mentioned a desire to relate the anatomy to their own bodies. At the final interview, most students reiterated that memorizing specific structures was key to learning anatomy while only six mentioned having focused on relationships between structures. None of the students indicated that they directly interacted with the instructor to help them learn. A major difference between students’ perception of learning versus learning anatomy was that many students talked about learning in general through primarily active activities. In contrast, most stated that they learned anatomy best via studying notes and reading the textbook. Even though two of the courses in the study had laboratory components, none of the respondents mentioned laboratory as essential to learning anatomy. These results may indicate that there is a disconnect between the idea of learning and of learning anatomy, and in how students think they will go about learning. While students may view learning in general through active mechanisms, they tend to focus on passive strategies to help them learn anatomy. Future directions may incorporate teaching strategies to help students become more aware of their ideas regarding learning in order to facilitate a more efficient study strategy.

Support or Funding Information

This study was not funded.