Spatial Abilities Training in Anatomy Education: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anatomy
• Spatial Cognition

Background:

• Spatial abilities are crucial for anatomy knowledge assessment.
• Previous reviews indicate spatial training enhances spatial abilities.
• Anatomy education often requires strong spatial reasoning skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of spatial abilities training within anatomy education.
• To synthesize evidence on interventions designed to improve spatial skills in anatomy learners.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search conducted in Scopus and EBSCOhost databases up to August 3, 2017.
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies involving anatomy education, spatial training interventions, and spatial abilities testing.
• Eight eligible articles were identified from 2,405 initial citations for full-text review and analysis.

Main Results:

• Both anatomy instruction and mental rotations training demonstrated improvements in spatial abilities.
• Meta-analysis of seven studies showed a pooled treatment effect difference of 0.49 (95% CI [0.17; 0.82]) for intervention effects on spatial abilities test scores.
• Even with practice effects noted in control groups, interventions showed a significant impact (pooled difference 0.47, 95% CI [-0.03; 0.97]).

Conclusions:

• Spatial abilities in anatomy education can be effectively improved through specific training methods.
• Instruction in anatomy and mental rotations are evidence-based strategies for enhancing spatial skills.
• These findings support the integration of spatial training to bolster anatomical understanding and performance.