Spatial ability and anatomy learning performance among dental students

• 영문명: Spatial ability and anatomy learning performance among dental students
• 발행기관: 한국의학교육학회
• 저자명: Erli Sarilita Yurika Ambar Lita Dani Rizali Firman Tracey Wilkinson Sri Susilawati Risti Saptarini
• 간행물 정보: 『Korean Journal of Medical Education』제34권 제4호, 309~318쪽, 전체 10쪽
• 주제분류: 의약학 > 기타의약학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2022.12.31

영문 초록

Purpose: Spatial perception is an essential skill for professional dentists. The objective of this study was to observe the spatial ability, as well as anatomy module grades, of dental students at a dental education center in Indonesia and relate these to gender and cohort. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out where dental students in years (cohorts) 1, 2, 4–6 were invited to take the Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT-R) and the redrawn Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotation Test (MRT) in order to assess spatial ability. In addition, the 1st- and 2nd-year dental students carried out gross anatomy assessments. Spatial ability test results were compared using an independent t-test to detect gender differences, one-way analysis of variance to inspect cohort differences, and correlation relative to anatomy module scores. Results: A total of 326 dental students voluntarily participated. Statistically significant gender differences were found in both spatial ability tests in the overall sample (PSVT-R: p<0.001; MRT: p=0.001). When the 1st- and 2nd-year dental students were pooled, significant gender differences were detected, in which males scored higher than females in both spatial ability tests (PSVT-R: p<0.001; MRT: p=0.003). In anatomy, however, females scored higher than the males (p=0.005). In addition, there were weak to moderate, but significant correlations between spatial ability tests and anatomy scores. Conclusion: This study indicated that spatial ability may not be the only factor predicting the academic performance of dental students. However, dental students with low spatial ability scores may need supplementary educational techniques when learning specific spatial tasks.

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키워드

Spatial navigation Dental students Anatomy