Learner needs assessment through active learning development: A trial at Kawasaki Senior High School Attached to Kawasaki Medical School
Active learning initiatives are implemented to enhance learning outcomes, but some efforts yield insufficient results. For improving active learning outcomes, learners’ positive participation is crucial. To foster learner motivation in active learning, creating experiences that align with learners’ needs is effective. Therefore, evaluating their needs is essential, yet such evaluations have not been conducted adequately. To better understand the learner needs, we facilitated development of active learning activities by the learners themselves. Specifically, this study used inquiry-based learning with a group of Second-year high school students supported by collaborative guidance from high school and university educators. To assess student perceptions and learning needs, data were collected through written surveys, and statistical significance was evaluated using Student’s t-tests (p < 0.05). As part of this process, the Second-year students designed anatomy games, making it evident that learners prefer to engage with learning material in an enjoyable way. Thus, this paper reports the effectiveness of active learning tailored to reflect learner needs.
