RESEARCH REPORT Reception Learning and Self-Discovery Learning in Histology: Students’ Perceptions and Their Implications for Assessing the Effectiveness of Different Learning Modalities Antonio Campos-Sa ´ nchez, 1 Miguel-A ´ ngel Martı´n-Piedra, 1 Vı´ctor Carriel, 1 Miguel Gonza ´ lez-Andrades, 1,2 Ingrid Garzo ´ n, 1 Marı ´a-Carmen Sa ´ nchez-Quevedo, 1 Miguel Alaminos 1 * 1 Department of Histology, Medical School, University of Granada, Granada, Spain 2 Division of Ophthalmology, San Cecilio University Hospital, Granada, Spain Two questionnaires were used to investigate students’ perceptions of their motivation to opt for reception learning (RL) or self-discovery learning (SDL) in histology and their choices of complementary learning strategies (CLS). The results demonstrated that the motivation to attend RL sessions was higher than the motivation to attend SDL to gain new knowledge (P < 0.01) and to apply this acquired knowledge to diagnosis (P < 0.01), therapy (P < 0.01), and research (P < 0.05). Students also showed a stronger pref- erence for RL based on motivations related to leadership (P < 0.01) and competition (P < 0.01), although the rates were very low in both cases ( 1.9 6 1.1). Statistically signif- icant differences were found between male and female students for leadership (higher in males), responsibility (higher in females), and acquiring new knowledge (higher in females only in RL). This study’s findings for students’ preferred CLS strategies suggested a greater need for additional complementary resources after RL than after SDL (P < 0.01). In conclusion, RL was associated with a greater need for complementary training resources such as textbooks, atlases, the internet, audiovisual media, and tutorials, whereas SDL was associated with a greater need to orient teaching and training toward medical practice. These results suggest the need to reorient both types of learning proc- esses to enhance their effectiveness in teaching histology, especially in the case of SDL, which should place more emphasis on clinically oriented knowledge. Anat Sci Educ 00: 000- 000. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists. Key words: histology education; microscopic anatomy; reception learning; self-discovery learning; complementary learning strategies; motivation; students’ perceptions; applica- tion to medicine INTRODUCTION The student’s role in the learning process has been examined from many different points of view in recent decades (San- doval and Harven, 2011). Students’ motivations, beliefs, and perceptions are variables or constructs that form the founda- tion of their learning processes (Schommer, 1990; Schommer et al., 1997; Sandoval, 2005; Koballa and Glynn, 2007; C ¸ am and Geban, 2011; Chan, 2011). These constructs, also known as students’ characteristics, can be defined as the way in which students conceptualize and relate to the learning pro- cess and are assumed to affect their learning and achieve- ments (Nolen, 1988; Wolters, 2004; Mattern, 2005). Stu- dents’ perceptions are constructs that refer in particular to students’ expectations regarding the tasks in which they should acquire skills. Although some students’ characteristics, particularly their epistemological beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions, have been investigated in some disciplines, most studies have focused on assessing these characteristics in the context of teaching or learning activities at different levels of education or other aspects of science learning (Schommer, 1990; Schommer *Correspondence to: Prof. Miguel Alaminos, Department of Histology, Medical School, University of Granada, Avenida de Madrid 11, E-18071 Granada, Spain. E-mail: malaminos@ugr.es Grant sponsor: Unidad de Innovacio ´n Docente, University of Granada; Grant numbers: UGR11-294 and UGR11-303 Received 4 December 2011; Revised 10 April 2012; Accepted 30 April 2012. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ase.1291 © 2012 American Association of Anatomists Anatomical Sciences Education MONTH 2012 Anat Sci Educ 00:000–000 (2012)