Teaching Yin-Yang biopsychology using the animation, “Pororo the Little Penguin”

Abstract

IntroductionYin-Yang is a pivotal theory of traditional East-Asian medicine, however it has been undervalued and misunderstood for the lack of a substantial and efficient educational program. The present study was undertaken to develop a module for teaching medical school students the biopsychological features of Yin-Yang using animation characters, and to assess its practicality. MethodsEducational module for the Yin-Yang biopsychology using animation characters from “Pororo the Little Penguin” was developed, and was applied for teaching the science to the first grade medical students (n = 39). The module is comprised of two sessions: the first session (40 min) included edited video clips, short phrases of medical classics, and two types of quizzes; the second session (20 min) had a discussion and feedback on student assignments. The degree of satisfaction and difficulty, strength and weakness of the module, adequacy of the allocated time for class, and length of time used for assignment were analyzed. ResultsThe enrolled class showed high scores for ‘understanding of Yin-Yang’ (8.15 ± 1.46), which correlated with ‘increased familiarity with the Yin-Yang theory’ (r = 0.636, p < 0.01) and ‘recognized usefulness for explaining to the general public’ (r = 0.528, p < 0.01), even with relatively short time for class (60 min for 2 sessions) and assignment (32.69 ± 10.50 min). ConclusionThe current educational module for the Yin-Yang of traditional East-Asian medicine using animation characters was highly satisfactory with low overall difficulty. We believe that knowledge of traditional East-Asian medicine might easily be introduced using animation to medical professionals, medical students, researchers, and the general public.