Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
J Taibah Univ Med Sci, 2019 Aug;14(4):395-401.
PMID: 31488974 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2019.06.008

Abstract

Objective: Students commonly perceive gross anatomy lectures as difficult because they contain complex information that requires three-dimensional visualisation in order to be understood. Without prior preparation, a gross anatomy topic expounded via lecture can be cognitively challenging. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the impact of a pre-lecture activity in the form of viewing a video on students' lecture comprehension.

Method: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using 254 first-year medical students with no prior exposure to the lecture topic during the 2016/17 and 2017/18 academic sessions. The students from each batch were divided into two groups and exposed to different video material. Group A watched an action movie, while Group B watched an educational video related to the lecture topic. After 15 min, both groups attended a lecture on the gross anatomy of the heart, which was delivered by a qualified anatomist. At the end of the lecture, their understanding of the material was measured through a post-lecture test using ten vetted multiple choice true/false questions.

Results: Group B's test scores were found to be significantly higher than Group A's (p > 0.001, t-stats [df] = -4.21 [252]).

Conclusion: This study concluded that the pre-lecture activity had successfully provided the students with some prior knowledge of the subject before they attended the lecture sessions. This finding was aligned with cognitive load theory, which describes a reduction in learners' cognitive load when prior knowledge is stimulated.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.