Department of Health Science Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa;
Department of Psychology, Erasmus University, and Institute of Medical Education Research, Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
Adv Physiol Educ. 2016 Sep;40(3):342-8. doi: 10.1152/advan.00193.2015.
The present study explored the nature and frequency of physiology naïve beliefs by investigating novices' understanding of the respiratory system. Previous studies have shown considerable misconceptions related to physiology but focused mostly on specific physiological processes of normal respiration. Little is known about novices' broader understanding of breathing in a clinical context. Our study hypothesized that naïve beliefs could hamper participants' ability to understand the interrelatedness of respiratory structures and functions related to breathing during a clinical complication. The study entailed both quantitative and qualitative foci. A two-tier test was designed and administered to 211 first-year medical students. Participants were asked to choose the correct answer out of a set of four options and to substantiate their choices. Questions were purposefully left open to elicit a wide range of responses. Statistical analysis (SPSS) was done to evaluate the frequency of naïve beliefs. Thematic analysis was used to determine themes within the raw data. The majority of participants selected incorrect answers in the multiple-choice question part of the questionnaire. Results from the thematic analysis yielded a considerable range of naïve beliefs about gas exchange, foundational physics, airflow, anatomic structures, and breathing pathways. An awareness of the existence of such naive beliefs in respiratory physiology will allow educators to address them in their teaching and thereby prevent naïve beliefs transforming into misconceptions.
本研究通过调查新手对呼吸系统的理解，探讨了生理学朴素信念的本质和频率。先前的研究表明，与生理学相关的误解相当多，但主要集中在正常呼吸的特定生理过程上。关于新手在临床环境中对呼吸的更广泛理解，知之甚少。我们的研究假设，朴素信念可能会阻碍参与者理解在临床并发症期间与呼吸相关的呼吸结构和功能的相互关系。该研究包括定量和定性两个重点。设计并向 211 名一年级医学生施行了两级测试。要求参与者从四组选项中选择正确答案，并说明其选择的理由。问题故意留空，以引出广泛的反应。使用 SPSS（统计软件）进行了统计分析，以评估朴素信念的频率。使用主题分析来确定原始数据中的主题。大多数参与者在问卷的多项选择题部分选择了错误的答案。主题分析的结果产生了对气体交换、基础物理学、气流、解剖结构和呼吸途径的大量朴素信念。对呼吸生理学中存在此类朴素信念的认识将使教育者能够在教学中解决这些问题，从而防止朴素信念转变为误解。
