ERIC Number: EJ1059986
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2200-2359
EISSN: N/A
The Effectiveness of Peer Taught Group Sessions of Physiotherapy Students within the Clinical Setting: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Scott, Dee; Jelsma, Jennifer
Journal of Peer Learning, v7 Article 9 p105-117 2014
The study aimed to investigate whether learning from peers, learning from a clinical educator, or being the peer teacher during clinical group sessions was more effective at enhancing student learning outcomes for different health conditions. A secondary aim was to determine which method students found more satisfactory. Physiotherapy students at the University of Cape Town were sent to different paediatric sites for clinical experience, including a children's convalescent home, two special schools, a day care centre for children with severe disabilities, and a mainstream school. The research design was quasi-experimental in that different teachers (peer vs. educator) were assigned randomly to each health condition. All 38 third year students were eligible for inclusion in the study. Approximately 10 students attended each weekly group teaching session, which was either peer-led or educator-led. Students were required to complete a test covering content taught by the different teachers. The nature of the person presenting to the small group did not have an impact on test scores. There were no significant differences in students' mean test scores between the peer-led, educator-led, or self-led conditions. However, test scores were significantly higher in the health conditions with severe disability than the other conditions. Students also reported higher satisfaction with clinical educator teaching.
Descriptors: Physiology, Therapy, Clinical Experience, Peer Teaching, Quasiexperimental Design, Pediatrics, Scores, Teaching Methods, Instructional Effectiveness, Participant Satisfaction, Student Placement, Group Instruction, Multiple Choice Tests, Questionnaires, Intermode Differences, Medical Students, Achievement Gains, Foreign Countries
University of Wollongong. Available from: Centre for Educational Development and Interactive Resources. Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Tel: +61-2-4221-3140; Fax: +61-2-4225-8312; e-mail: jutlp@uow.edu.au; Web site: http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Tests/Questionnaires; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa (Cape Town)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A