Innovating Pathology Learning via Kahoot! Game-based Tool: A Quantitative Study of Students’ Perceptions and Academic Performance

Abstract

Introduction: Pathology teaching for medical undergraduate students linking basic and clinical sciences together is a challenging task. Kahoot! is a game-based online digital formative assessment tool that can engage students in its learning. This study analyzed the effect of Kahoot! use on students` learning of Pathology. Methods: The study was carried out on the first-year Pathology students at Helwan University, Faculty of Medicine, after ending a basic Pathology course. The study is a retrospective quasi-experimental quantitative study. Academic performance of students in Pathology was compared between Kahoot! and non-Kahoot! users (55 students each). In addition, an online survey was introduced to the 55 Kahoot! user students to investigate their perceptions on Kahoot! . Survey and test score data were analyzed by appropriate tests using IBM-SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Version 21.0. The level of significance was P <0.05. Results: Kahoot! enhanced Pathology understanding (83.6%), retaining knowledge (87.3%), made learning fun and motivating (89.1%). Other mentioned advantages of Kahoot! were practicing for the exam (40%), simple and easy to use (36.4%), competitive (18.2%), self-confidence booster (10.9%), forming a comprehensive image of the lecture (9%), quick (9%), and imagining skills booster (5.5%). Mentioned disadvantages included no explanation for the answers to the questions (20%). A quarter of the students stated that the time limit for the questions was short (27.3%). Kahoot! use was significantly associated with better Pathology academic performance (P=0.001), and it was not related to the general academic performance of the students (P=0.06). The majority of users (85.4%) recommended its continuous future use. Conclusions: The study offers an endorsement to the use of Kahoot! for gamifying formative assessment of Pathology and can provide a basis for the design of an online Kahoot!-based continuous formative assessment plans implemented outside-classroom in the Pathology curricula.