Using case studies from popular culture to teach medical physiology

Abstract

According to the ‘middle ground hypothesis’ formulated by the neuroscientist E. Paul Zehr, case studies from popular culture may facilitate discovery learning in physiology education. In the present chapter, I present and evaluate the use of Darth Vader from the Star Wars saga and Miles Dyson from the Terminator franchise for teaching respiratory and cardiovascular physiology to 2nd-year medical students. Based on evaluation forms from 50 students, my findings suggest that students find the use of cases from popular culture instructive, involving, and entertaining. End-term multiple choice tests on the relevant core curriculum in 67 students who had been taught with the use popular culture case studies and in 51 who had not, furthermore showed that the former achieved the highest test scores. The use of case studies from popular culture thus appears to be an effective means for enhancing student learning, conceivably by reaching into the students’ affective domain while also providing a familiar mental landscape where the scientific principles can be explored.