Locate the internal organs in the human body: a survey in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine to what extent fifth grade students located the internal organs on the outline of human body. Study group consisted of 150 students at two primary schools in Balikesir in northwest of Turkey during the fall term of 2011-2012 academic years. Data were collected by Locate Internal Organs Questionnaire consisting of two open-ended questions. In the first question (written question), the names with numbers of the internal organs in the human body were given to the students and the students were asked to locate the numbers of the internal organs on the outline of the human body. In the second question (written-visual question), the names and images with numbers of the internal organs in the human body were given to the students and the students were asked to locate the numbers of the internal organs on the outline of the human body. The data was analyzed by descriptive analysis method. The study results revealed that the internal organs in the human body signed the most correctly were esophagus, trachea, lungs on the outline of the human body for the written and written-visual questions, while the internal organs in the human body signed the least correctly were spleen, pancreas, intestines for both of the questions. The students' total correct answers were mostly at the category of partly right to both written and written-visual questions. However, most of the students tended to sign much more internal organs in the human body in the written-visual question correctly than those of the written question.