Comparing the effects of theory-practice and practice-theory methods of teaching anatomy on student learning and satisfaction

Educational systems need to modify teaching methods in order to be effective. This research was conducted to study the effects of theory-practice and practice-theory methods of anatomy teaching on student learning and satisfaction. This quasi-experimental survey was carried out on second semester students of Lorestan University. During a 6-week period students were taught the anatomy of musculo-skeletal, neuro-vascular, and visceral systems according to the curriculum by two different methods; one group of students attended theory classes initially and were subsequently designated to practical sessions in the laboratory which included practicing dissection on mannequins and human bodies. The order of teaching was reversed for the secondgroup who received practical lessons first and attended theory lectures subsequently. Satisfaction with the curriculum was gauged through a pre-designed questionnaire and the degree of learning was assessed through a written examination. Data was analyzed by SPSS software. In the musculo-skeletal section, learning outcomes and satisfaction were significantly higher in the practice-theory method; while for visceral and neurovascular systems, no significant statistical differences were observed in the learning outcomes between the 2 methods. Degree of satisfaction was significantly higher with the practice-theory method for learning the visceral section but not for the neuro-vascular system. Practice-theory method of anatomy teaching can be an acceptable replacement for theory-practice method (usual method) in the educational system.