[Misconceptions and tacit learning--a challenge in medical education]

Medical education has undergone several reforms and innovations both in Norway and elsewhere, and the quality of teaching and learning is, and should be, a subject of ongoing discussions and developments. As a contribution to this discussion a teaching experience and a follow-up study of misconceptions among medical students are presented. More than 10% of 48 young medical students answered that the antagonist moved the femur into abduction when asked to choose between two alternatives. According to a constructivistic theory of learning, unexpected and often incorrect understandings may be developed informally either before or parallel to formal teaching. Whereas there has been a vast number of studies into students' misconceptions in school subjects and their tendency to survive formal educational programmes, they have drawn little attention in medical education. The observations are discussed with reference to contemporary theories on learning: some implications for medical education are suggested.