Dissection of Mammalian Organs and Opinions about It among Lower and Upper Secondary School Students

Andreja Špernjak,Andrej Šorgo

doi:10.26529/cepsj.17

Abstract

This article describes the results of a study that investigated the use of the dissection of organs in anatomy and physiology classes in Slovenian lower and upper secondary schools. Based on a sample of 485 questionnaires collected from Slovenian lower and upper secondary school students, we can conclude that dissection of mammalian organs during the courses on Human Anatomy would be a preferred activity for the majority of them. Opinions on such practices are positive, and only a minority of students would prefer to opt out. However, the practice is performed only occasionally in regular classes, or even omitted, and a number of students never participate in it. According to the results, we can suggest the dissection of mammalian organs in combination with alternatives, such as 3D models and virtual laboratories, as a preferred strategy to increase knowledge of anatomy and to raise interest in science. However, students should know that the organs they are dissecting were dedicated to human consumption, or are waste products in these processes. Opt-out options should be provided for those who do not want to participate in such activities.

Highlights

Biology is a discipline about living beings, and there is no scientific evidence about the presence of life outside organisms
All instructional methods used in anatomy teaching, except dissection itself, have in common that they can be recognised as derivatives of dissection, because there is no alternative to obtaining primary insight inside the bodies of members of the animal kingdom
Holstermann et al (2009) investigated students’ disgust and interest in dissection; the results show that dissection has a high potential to influence students’ intrinsic motivation positively if the students do not feel disgust

Summary

Introduction

Biology is a discipline about living beings, and there is no scientific evidence about the presence of life outside organisms. In formal education, different instructional methods exist to attain knowledge and experience about the internal anatomy of animals and humans. Regardless of the support of NSTA authorities, the dissection of a whole animal or organ is a common practice only in some school districts’ biology curricula and absent in others (Mattheis, Ingram, Jensen & Jackson, 2015). In Slovenian schools, dissection of mammalian organs is encouraged by national documents on biology/science education but in practice entirely depends on the teacher’s autonomous decision and discretion to include it in teaching or not. Studies about the status of dissection in Slovenian schools do not exist, which was one of the main incentives to begin our research

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion