Effect of Peer-Assisted Learning on Enhancing Clinical Research Skills Among Medical Students: Students’ and Tutors’ Perceptions

Abstract

Purpose Research methodology is an essential part of evidence-based medicine. Many educational programs include clinical research methodology within their curriculum. Moreover, students’ preferences for learning methods are different than before, as they now prefer alternative methods, such as peer teaching. Peer-assisted learning enhances students’ tutoring skills. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate the effect of peer teaching on enhancing clinical research skills. Participants and Methods Peer-assisted learning was evaluated during a four-week online research methodology course designed for medical students at King Abdulaziz University. A total of 121 students’ and 38 tutors’ attitudes and perceptions of peer teaching were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire. The effectiveness of peer teaching was assessed using pre- and post-course knowledge tests. Chi-square was used to assess the association of qualitative data, and Mann–Whitney U -test and Wilcoxon rank test were used as nonparametric tests for the variables that were not normally distributed. Results The post-course knowledge score was significantly higher than the pre-test score. Students had a positive perception of peer-assisted learning. Over 90% of the students preferred peer-assisted learning to traditional teaching. Similarly, the tutors had significantly positive perceptions of peer-assisted teaching. Younger students who had higher post-test mean knowledge scores had a good perception of peer teaching. Conclusion The current study demonstrates students’ and tutors’ positive perceptions of peer-assisted learning as well as the effectiveness of peer learning. Medical schools should pay more attention to students and prepare them for peer-teacher roles.

Use of Peer-Led Web-Based Platforms for Peer-Assisted Learning Among Canadian Anesthesia Residents and Fellows: Cross-Sectional Study

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The Impact of Peer-Assisted Learning in a Brazilian Medical Course

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Peer teachers taking the lead in classroom instruction: program creation and challenges faced

“…Peer teaching has been widely studied and adopted in higher education across many disciplines in instructional venues such as labs, clinical settings, course sections, and discussion groups (for example, Brueckner and MacPherson, 2004;Khaw and Raw, 2016;Burgess et al, 2020). Overall, the literature finds an educational benefit not only to the peer teacher but also the students being taught by peers, or at least a comparable, not diminished, learning by students (Whitman and Fife, 1988;Wagner and Gansemer-Topf, 2005;Secomb, 2008;Rees et al, 2016;Jawhari et al, 2021). While peer learning in libraries has been adopted through peer reference and teaching assistants (MacAdam and Nichols, 1988;Murphy, 2016;Baugess et al, 2017;Salomon et al, 2017), solo peer teaching, especially undergraduate-to-undergraduate, has not been as widely explored or deployed in academic libraries.…”

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