Learner Perceptions Regarding the Lecture and the Small Group Discussion as Teaching/Learning Methods in Physiology”

Authors

  • Preetha Paul Department of Physiology, Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Chennai – 600 127
  • Lalitha Subramanyam Department of Physiology, Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Chennai – 600 127
  • Geetha Raghunathan Department of Pharmacology, Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Chennai – 600 127
  • Balaji Arumugam Department of Community Medicine, Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Chennai – 600 127

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v18i2.40697

Keywords:

Learner Perceptions, Methods in Physiology

Abstract

Introduction: Physiology has traditionally been taught through lectures, but other methods are now being tried. One of these, the small group discussion (SGD), is considered to be more tuned to learners’ needs compared to the lecture.

Aim: This study was undertaken to determine learner perceptions on the lecture and the SGD as teaching/learning methods in physiology.

Methods: Ninety-seven first MBBS students were taught Physiology in both lecture and SGD formats for a whole year. Feedback was then obtained from the students using a validated and structured questionnaire. Data was entered in Excel sheet and analyzed using SPSS software.

Results and Discussion: Learners felt that both the lecture and the SGD helped them understand basic principles well (93.4 and 93.3%), contributed effectively to the learning process (84.6 and 90%) and fostered critical thinking skills (64.9 and 68.9%). For delivery of basic concepts, learners preferred the lecture for its systematic presentation. SGDs were perceived to promote active participation of learners (85.6%), encourage facilitator-learner interaction (87.8), and retain student interest better (62.2%).Overall, learning was better-stimulated by the SGD (73.4%) rather than the lecture (35.2%).

Conclusion: In the teaching/learning of physiology, appropriate use of both the lecture and the SGD will serve to nurture and sustain learner interest effectively.

Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.18(2) 2019 p.274-278

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Abstract
34
PDF
23

Downloads

Published

2019-03-25

How to Cite

Paul, P., Subramanyam, L., Raghunathan, G., & Arumugam, B. (2019). Learner Perceptions Regarding the Lecture and the Small Group Discussion as Teaching/Learning Methods in Physiology”. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science, 18(2), 274–278. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v18i2.40697

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 2 (2019)

Section

Original Articles

License

Authors who publish in the Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science agree to the following terms that:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science the right of first publication of the work.

  2. Creative Commons Licence
    Articles in Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License CC BY-4.0.This license permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
  3. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  4. Authors are permitted to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as greater citation of published work.