26 | JADE
ROSALYN A JURJUS ET AL.
about age and cause of death( Williams et al., 2014). Willingness to be a body or organ donor correlated with a positive experience in the dissection room( Anyanwu et al., 2014). Our role as educators is to ensure preparedness for all students admitted from various cultural backgrounds by using various combinations of the above approaches( Penney, 1985).
It has been shown that learning is maximized in an environment that fosters a moderate state of positive arousal due to neural plasticity and negative stress( Cozolino and Sprokay, 2006). Indeed, our own dissection laboratory typifies this type of learning environment. Students from both groups appraised the dissection experience highly and had more positive emotions, which should help to maximize learning. It has been reported that students feel cadaveric dissection as absolutely essential for learning anatomy, and that students in medical schools where this practical aspect is no longer taught will lose out on knowledge and skill elements that are essential for the practice of medicine( Lempp, 2005). Both groups, cultural and non-cultural, perceived the time spent on dissecting cadavers is a rewarding counter-balance to many hours of class time( Lempp, 2005) and provided valuable active learning time( Jurjus et al., 2013). The dissection exercise promoted their learning outcomes and fostered in them the spirit of teamwork as well as the psychomotor skills of compassion and professionalism( Weeks et al., 1995; Slotnick and Hilton, 2006). Dissection created the proper environment for self- directed learning from a resource that they might not be able to encounter elsewhere in their career. It was once-in- a- lifetime valuable and relevant learning experience, enhanced by discussions in the laboratory that promoted peer education( Kotzé and Mole, 2013).
In this study, cultural students( group 1) had significantly more positive experiences than non-cultural students( group 2) in the dissection laboratory. Cultural views were strongly correlated to religious views. Although it has been reported that some religious students viewed anatomical dissection as a threat to the sanctity of the human body( Notzer et al., 2006), it didn’ t prevent these students from giving this experience a personal and religious meaning. In the present study, this is reflected in the qualitative comments and concept maps that tend to be more reflective and less reactive. Cultural students tried to connect the human body to their religious beliefs and perceived it more positively, while the non-cultural students were looking at the body more as a learning tool( Hancock et al., 2004), but both did so with much respect.
In the present study, no correlation was found between age and the experience of dissection. However, a previously published