A CONTROLLED TRIAL OF PEER-TEACHING IN PRACTICAL GROSS-ANATOMY

The present study is an evaluation of a peer-teaching program in pract ical gross anatomy involving 80 volunteer second-year medical students . They were assigned 20 per cadaver, but divided into two subgroups of 10 each. The subgroup which dissects during a given session would dem onstrate their accomplishments to the other subgroup at the commenceme nt of the next dissecting session, before withdrawing to study indepen dently. The other subgroup would then proceed to dissect during the re st of the session and, on the next practical day, demonstrate their wo rk to their peers in the complementary subgroup. Thus, each subgroup p erformed only half of the 36 work units on the trunk, relying on their peers for instruction on the other half. Eighty students with similar entry-level qualifications were selected from the rest of the class t o serve as controls. Their student-to-cadaver ratio was also 20:1 but every member was in attendance at all dissecting sessions. In the expe rimental and control programs, each student was actively engaged in di ssection for an average of 5.4 hours. A 200-item two-choice theory pap er and a 50-station practical test comprising specimen-based questions were administered at the end of the study. Students in the peer-teach ing program performed significantly better than their full-time dissec ting counterparts. The peer-teaching program was well-received by the students: it reduced the crowding at dissecting tables considerably an d offered them opportunities to hone their communication skills. The n on-dissecting time was also much-valued and well-utilized. (C) 1997 Wi ley-Liss, Inc.