Medical students said classes taught by fellow students kept them more interested

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   60 third-year medical students at one college in Kerala, India. They were split by lottery into two groups of 30.

2. 02

   What they did

   The course had six topics in forensic medicine, each taught in groups of 10 with an hour of teaching. Each student had three topics taught by trained fellow students. The other three were case talks led by teachers, and the groups swapped halfway.

3. 03

   What happened

   About 82 in 100 students said they felt keen after classes run by peers, against about 68 in 100 after teacher-led ones. But no one checked if this gap was real. On a quiz right after each class, scores were a bit higher after peer-led classes. Some numbers don't add up, and the same students were counted as if they were new people.

What the study found

1. HelpedMotivation

   More students said peer-led classes kept them keen than said so of teacher-led ones, but no one tested this.

   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small randomised trial of 60 medical students in India · vs case talks led by teachers · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable; summary claims more than the results show

2. HelpedGoals

   Students scored a bit higher on a quiz right after peer-led classes than after teacher-led ones.

   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small randomised trial of 60 medical students in India · vs case talks led by teachers · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable; summary claims more than the results show

Source