Assessing Determinants of Musculoskeletal Anatomy Success in First‐year Physical Therapy Students
Authors: Waite Jordan G , Farkas Gary J , Topp Kimberly S , Smoot Betty , Harmon Derek 
Published: June 2021

Introduction

Assessing determinants of student success in gross anatomy may identify areas amenable to intervention to improve academic performance. Visual‐spatial memory as well as learning and study strategies have been identified as potential predictors of anatomy course success, but no studies have evaluated predictors in physical therapy students, for whom knowledge of musculoskeletal (MSK) anatomy is critical to clinical practice.

Aim

The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the association between visual‐spatial intelligence, learning and study strategies, demographic information, and student performance in a MSK anatomy course in first year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students. We hypothesized significant, positive correlations between visual‐spatial ability and learning strategies with exam scores.

Methods

First year DPT students (n=50) were asked to complete the Vandenburg Mental Rotation Test (VMRT), the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), and to provide demographic and prior anatomy experience information during the first week of a 10‐week MSK anatomy course. The VMRT evaluates an individual's ability to mentally rotate 2D representations of 3D objects, and the LASSI evaluates students' study habits and self‐regulation strategies. Demographic information was collected on age, sex, and gender. Scores on written (n=3) and practical (n=3) exams, individual and in combination, were collected at the end of the course. Pearson correlations were used to determine the associations between VMRT and LASSI scores and exam scores. Alpha was set as p<0.05. Linear regression was performed to evaluate the contribution of the evaluated variables to the outcome.

Results

Students were 25.8±4.5 years of age, and 68% identified as female. LASSI anxiety subscale score, assessing the ability to cope with anxiety, was correlated with total practical exam scores (r=0.315, p=0.028) and the combined practical and written score (r=0.286, p=0.046). Age was negatively correlated with both the practical exam total (r =−0.401, p=0.004) and the combined score (r=−0.346, p=0.014). All other correlations were not significant (p>0.05). Linear regression indicated that VMRT, LASSI, and student age contributed to the variance in MSK exam scores (R2= 0.306, p=0.021).

Discussion and Conclusion

These results suggest that the anxiety coping skills are positively correlated with exam scores, while older age was negatively associated with exam scores in first year DPT students, indicating that students who were less anxious performed better on exams and that older students performed more poorly on exams. Instructors may be able to address anxiety, particularly in older students, to improve performance. Additional studies are needed to verify and further evaluate the importance of these associations, and to investigate the effects of targeted interventions to improve learning outcomes.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.