Basic histology knowledge gaps in Moroccan university students: Curriculum achievement and persistent misconceptions

Abstract

This quantitative study evaluated basic histology knowledge among 302 first-year Moroccan university students through a questionnaire based on the Bloom’s taxonomy on knowledge, comprehension, and application levels across four tissues (epithelium, connective, muscle, and nervous), assessing curriculum achievement and misconceptions. Students achieved partial descriptive competence in epithelium classification but exhibited also systemic relational failures—worst in connective tissue (78-100% failure rates, 70.2% average partial/incorrect responses)—revealing three prevalent misconception clusters (15-94%): extracellular matrix/matrix confusion (epithelium composition 67% and bone hydroxyapatite 94%), fiber/gland morphology errors (82-87%), and neuron/muscle structural conflations (45% axon misclassification). These kinds of knowledge gaps hinder the development of students’ biological and biomedical laboratory skills in accordance with secondary and university curricula. Student-centered, active learning strategies integrated with virtual microscopy platforms can prevent infrastructure constraints and visualization deficits, and support students’ meaningful tissue identification. Effective pedagogical practices are needed to achieve the learning objectives of the curricula, to strengthen students’ motivation and correct their misconceptions, and to harmonize histology teaching in secondary education and higher education.