ERIC Number: EJ1187711
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1470-8175
EISSN: N/A
A Comparison of Debate and Role Play in Enhancing Critical Thinking and Communication Skills of Medical Students during Problem Based Learning
Latif, Rabia; Mumtaz, Sadaf; Mumtaz, Rafia; Hussain, Aamir
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, v46 n4 p336-342 Jul-Aug 2018
Debate and role play for learning critical thinking and communication skills are being increasingly used in various undergraduate medical schools worldwide. We aim to compare students' views about effectiveness of two teaching strategies; debate and role play to exercise critical thinking and communication skills during problem-based learning (PBL). This is a comparative, cross-sectional, and questionnaire-based study. Our subjects were second year undergraduate female medical students enrolled in Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), College of Medicine from September 2014-2016, divided into 10 small PBL groups (10-13 students/group/year). Students rated role play and debate as equally effective in improving communication skills. Debate was rated superior to role play in "opening new avenues of thinking" (p-value is 0.01), whereas in "integration of knowledge of basic medical sciences with clinical skills" and "reflection of real life experience" students rated role play being superior to debate (p-value 0.01 and 0.00, respectively). Both role play and debate are well accepted by the students in PBL curriculum as an effective teaching methodology. Both are perceived equally good in improving students' communication skills. Few aspects of critical thinking are improved more by role plays compared to debate and vice versa.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Undergraduate Students, Females, Medical Students, Role Playing, Debate, Teaching Methods, Communication Skills, Problem Based Learning, Foreign Countries, Critical Thinking, Thinking Skills, Questionnaires
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Saudi Arabia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A