Using guided inquiry and the information search process to develop research confidence among first year anatomy students

Abstract

With the growing volume of obtainable medical information and scientific literature, it is crucial that students in the field of allied health professions develop and refine the research skill set necessary to effectively find, retrieve, analyze, and use this information. This skill set can be effectively developed using student inquiry; an active learning process where students answer questions using research and data analysis. Therefore, with the pedagogical goal of developing information literacy among a cohort of allied health professional trainees, first year students studying human anatomy completed inquiry-based projects that were structured within the framework of the Information Search Process. This article thoroughly describes the conceptualization, creation, improvement, implementation, and assessment of the projects beginning with version one, the Student Inquiry Projects. Following a pilot of the Student Inquiry Projects various evidence-based improvements resulted in the final project version called the Inquiry Guided Learning Projects (IGLPs). A full assessment of the IGLPs revealed that students' self-perceived confidence improved for all tested research skills including: research question development, research question selection, exploration of peer-review literature, acquisition of resources, effective communication of results, and literature citation (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, six months following project completion students retained improved confidence in research question development and effective communication of results, with 90% of students indicating the IGLPs were directly responsible for these improvements. By guiding students through the Information Search Process, the IGLPs successfully developed research confidence among allied health trainees.

The Effect of Guided-Inquiry Laboratory Experiments on Science Education Students' Chemistry Laboratory Attitudes, Anxiety and Achievement

“…The results of the study displayed that the students developed their critical thinking, scientific process skills and reacted positively to the application. Bentley, Robinson and Ruscitti (2015) showed that following to the inquiry guided learning projects, the students who participated in the study developed their self confidence and some of the research skills. Additionally, Wang, Núñez, Maxwell, and Algar (2016) designed a guided-inquiry project to teach spectrophotometric instrumentation.…”

“Applying anatomy to something I care about”: Authentic inquiry learning and student experiences of an inquiry project

“…Both inquiry‐based and authentic approaches to learning encourage drawing on students' own daily lives to contextualize learning and make it more meaningful. Inquiry‐based learning has been used in a variety of anatomy classroom contexts to foster research skills and confidence (Bentley et al, ; Chaplin, ), deepen understandings of course content (Chaplin, ; Lee et al, ), and encourage higher levels of engagement and interest in disciplinary practice (Meuler, ). Similarly, authentic learning, in the context of anatomy education, has been identified as a possible approach for teaching students to meaningfully interpret anatomical practices, problem solving, and application (Lombardi, ; Pawlina and Drake, ).…”

“…Inquiry‐based learning involves students' active and increasingly independent investigation of questions and problems that are of interest to them through process of scientific inquiry (Dewey, ; Lee et al, ). Studies of students' IBL engagement within anatomy classrooms have shown statistically significant gains in learners' self‐perceived research confidence and abilities (Bentley et al, ; Chaplin, ) as well as improved understandings of the content learned (Chaplin, ). Studies have also found IBL to facilitate deep learning (Lee et al, ), improve examination performance (Brown, ), strengthen learner satisfaction (Hermiz et al, ), and encourage higher levels of engagement and interest in the discipline (Meuler, ).…”

“…Inquiry‐based learning facilitators aim to support students in having the confidence to approach their inquiries, so that they can find things out for themselves through appropriate questioning (McKinney, ). Studies focusing specifically on novice learners have demonstrated that, when appropriately designed and implemented, upper‐year high school and first‐year undergraduate students have engaged with inquiry‐based projects, making significant improvements in their self‐perceived confidence with research skills at all stages of the investigative process (Bentley et al, ) as well as team work and cooperation abilities (Liao et al, ).…”

The design and evaluation of a master of science program in anatomical sciences at Queen's University Canada

“…Anstey () reported that inquiry learning in anatomy, where students pursue their own interests, provided an unique learning experience for students driven by their own curiosities. Furthermore, studies of IBL in anatomy classrooms have shown gains in self‐perceived research abilities (Bentley et al, ) and an improved understanding of content learned (Chaplin, ). In this way inquiry‐based learning is an effective tool in reinforcing anatomical content knowledge but also in developing the transferable skills that are required of graduates in professional settings.…”