The Role of Language in Anatomy and Physiology Instruction

Chapman, Angela; Ward, Hsuying C.; Tiwari, Ashwini; Weimer, Amy A.; Duran, Jaime; Guerra, Federico; Sale, Paul

doi:10.1525/abt.2017.79.3.184

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Correct use of anatomical vocabulary by physicians, surgeons, and allied health professionals is an essential skill, crucial for describing and defining problems within the body with clarity and precision. It is acknowledged that students who fail to master vocabulary have even more difficulty learning about more complex anatomical processes (Chapman et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing students' agency in learning anatomy vocabulary with a formative intervention design

Ritchie,

Yang,

Hegedus

2024

Clinical Anatomy

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One of the major challenges for health science students is the rapid acquisition of a new vocabulary in anatomy comprising several hundred new words. Research has shown that vocabulary learning can be improved when students are directed to vocabulary strategies. This paper reported a study with a formative intervention design inspired by Vygotsky's method of double stimulation. In this design, the students were put in a structured situation that invited them to identify the challenges in learning anatomy and then provided them with active guidance and a range of anatomy vocabulary learning strategies that scaffolded them to work out a solution to the challenge and develop their individualized anatomy learning resources. The data were collected from surveys, pre and postquiz results, and group discussion transcripts. The results revealed students perceived one of the main challenges in learning anatomy was learning, memorizing, and remembering many new words. A key finding in our study was that the formative intervention enhanced students' agency in creating resources for learning anatomy vocabulary. In addition, the development of their understanding showed a recursive form: from concrete experiences to abstract concepts and then to concrete new practices.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing students' agency in learning anatomy vocabulary with a formative intervention design

Ritchie,

Yang,

Hegedus

2024

Clinical Anatomy

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show abstract

“…Of those, many are heavily rooted in Greek or Latin. If students were primed beforehand to identify common biological morphemes, they could spend less time memorizing words and instead focus on the concepts themselves (August et al, 2009; Boyd et al, 2012; Cardinale, 1992; Chapman et al, 2017). Comparing the morphologies of words may even result in novel connections for the students (Zoski et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there was no student feedback or performance data, priming students for terminology could only help them prepare (Wright et al, 2016). An instructor in Texas even tried to incorporate teaching biological etymology into a dissection activity to improve students' understanding of what they were doing (Chapman et al, 2017). While time constraints impacted the performance of that activity, the idea that root words are useful persists ubiquitously.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simplifying Biology Vocabulary via Morphology

Morar

2023

The American Biology Teacher

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In all fields of biology, understanding technical terminology is a challenge for students. In many cases, this may distract them from focusing on fundamental processes and concepts. Across the biology subfields, much of the vernacular shares similar etymology and morphology. However, students lack the exposure necessary to identify these key features, which often explain the meaning of terms without requiring any context at all. Therefore, instead of encouraging students to memorize many terms independently, it could be more beneficial to show them how words are constructed. Here, I propose an activity designed to help students recognize terms that may be connected, understand how vocabulary is often constructed to reflect its idea, and develop comfortability using these terms themselves in discussions. Through a guided group activity, students will have a chance to break down terms they have previously encountered and to draw connections between novel words. If students are capable of relating words to each other before even knowing what they mean, they may learn more effectively. Without being intimidated by enigmatic vocabulary, they can focus on broader concepts. In addition, when students understand how biological terminology is constructed, they may even dissect new words without needing the context surrounding them. This activity is applicable to courses in any specialty of biology, as various molecules, tissues, and processes follow general naming principles.

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“…Correct use of anatomical vocabulary by physicians, surgeons and allied health professionals is an essential skill, crucial for describing and de ning problems within the body with clarity and precision. It is acknowledged that students who fail to master vocabulary have even more di culty learning about more complex anatomical processes (Chapman et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing students’ agency in learning anatomy vocabulary with a formative intervention design

Ritchie,

HEGEDUS,

yang

2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One of the major challenges for health science students is the rapid acquisition of a new vocabulary in anatomy comprising several hundred new words. Research has shown that vocabulary learning can be improved when students are directed to vocabulary strategies. This paper reported a study with a formative intervention design inspired by Vygotsky’s method of double stimulation. In this design, the students were put in a structured situation that invited them to identify the challenges in learning anatomy and then provided them with active guidance and a range of anatomy vocabulary learning strategies that scaffolded them to work out a solution to the challenge and develop their individualized anatomy learning resources. The data were collected from surveys, pre- and post-quiz results, and group discussion transcripts. The results revealed students perceived one of the main challenges in learning anatomy was learning, memorizing and remembering many new words. A key finding in our study was that the formative intervention enhanced students’ agency in creating resources for learning anatomy vocabulary. In addition, the development of their understanding showed a recursive form: from concrete experiences to abstract concepts and then to concrete new practices.

show abstract

The Role of Language in Anatomy and Physiology Instruction

Cited by 3 publications

References 24 publications

Enhancing students' agency in learning anatomy vocabulary with a formative intervention design

Enhancing students' agency in learning anatomy vocabulary with a formative intervention design

Simplifying Biology Vocabulary via Morphology

Enhancing students’ agency in learning anatomy vocabulary with a formative intervention design

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