Incorporating shades of grey into higher education: Can we affect students’ tolerance of uncertainty/ambiguity through curricular practices?

Troublesome knowledge is a core characteristic of threshold concepts. Students’ responses to troublesome knowledge varies significantly, and may be impacted by their tolerance of uncertainty/ambiguity (ToU/A). ToU/A is defined as individuals’ responses to uncertain or ambiguous stimuli. Debate remains as to whether ToU/A is changeable (i.e. modifiable by context and experience), or static (i.e. a personality trait). We sought to explore to what extent, and whether, we could affect students’ ToA through our pedagogical approach in the context of a traditional anatomy education environment. We conducted a longitudinal qualitative study with 207 undergraduate medical students across three semesters of anatomy within the preclinical years. Data were collected from online discussion forums during semesters, and semi-structured interviews at the end of semesters. Our results suggest that ToU/A is modifiable, and that pedagogical approaches can positively, or negatively, affect students ToU/A development. Building on this, we are exploring practices and contexts in which opportunities for students’ ToU/A development are best placed within multiple faculties and disciplines. While this latter work is in the early stages, it is clear that pedagogical approaches in multiple disciplines can either foster or hinder students’ ToU/A, and that educator awareness of this is paramount. Ultimately, if we can improve students’ development of ToU/A earlier in their educational pathways, we may be able to expedite their progress through the threshold with less discomfort.