NON-COGNITIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF MEDICAL-STUDENTS - ENTRY TO PROBLEM-BASED AND LECTURE-BASED CURRICULA

The effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) versus lecture-based learning (LBL) continues to be debated all over the world. These argu ments have often been based on students' cognitive measures of perform ance. Little emphasis has been placed on non-cognitive factors that ma y directly or indirectly affect the medical school performance of stud ents in either curriculum. The purpose of this study was to (1) docume nt possible differences in student cognitive and non-cognitive charact eristics at entry between the two curricula and (2) to explore the rel ationships that exist between cognitive and non-cognitive factors. Dat a were obtained from three medical school classes (n = 281). The resul ts indicate that students who entered the PBL curriculum at this medic al school had higher total Medical College Admission Test and undergra duate grade point average than students who entered the LBL curriculum . Students who entered the PBL curriculum were also more self-sufficie nt and were more likely to do well in individualistic and less structu red settings. There were no strong correlations between cognitive and non-cognitive variables. Before conclusions can be drawn about the eff ectiveness of either PBL or LBL curricula, we need to document pattern s in entry characteristics to control for a priori differences that af fect student performance.