An Investigation of Primary Student Teachers’ Drawings of the Human Internal Organs

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate primary student teachers' drawings of the human internal organs, e.g. location, size and presence of organs (heart, lungs, stomach, liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestines etc.) This research was conducted with 104 primary teacher candidates studying in the Faculty of Education at Trakya University during the 2016-2017 academic year. The research data was obtained through the use of drawings and interviews with selected students. The findings revealed that, as expected, all students showed the heart, lungs and stomach in their drawings. The most frequently illustrated other human internal organs were intestines, liver, kidneys, pancreas and spleen, respectively. However, too many of them were not scientifically acceptable in terms of the location and size. The teacher candidates tended to usually draw the stomach, lungs and liver smaller than normal size. There are many points in the students' drawings that need to be underlined by teachers during the teaching-learning process in their classes.