Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
exercise was useless and hence did not participate . This may have biased the results .
Scheduling the sessions proved difficult due to limited availability of both peer teachers and learners . Since the respective faculties were not involved in the session planning , the peer tutors were required to work around the busy schedules of three cohorts of PT students , their own timetable and instances where the labs were unavailable . This resulted in delays and clashes in scheduling , and hence loss of interest among the peer learners , leading to the low response rate ( especially for the optional qualitative feedback ), as well as low turnout for sessions that were scheduled too close to the examination period .
Since the same MCQ test was given before and after each session , students could refer to the questions they had previously answered incorrectly , and hence better target their questions during the session . Although this helped students to learn what they did not know , it also brought about an element of prediction bias when it came to the post-session MCQs , possibly skewing the results .
And , finally , our original intention was to run a reciprocal near-peer teaching programme in which PT students would teach shoulder surface anatomy and biomechanical assessment to MD students . This did not materialize due to limitations in logistics planning , thus weakening the holistic vision of the planned study . Indeed , arguably , this research study was not a study of inter-professional education at all . Nevertheless , the results add to the body of literature , as there have been no previously published studies of near peer teaching by MD students for PT students that explore both written anatomy knowledge and attitudinal scores .
Conclusion
This pilot study of peer-assisted teaching and learning focused on academic improvements in anatomy knowledge as well as attitudinal changes when PT students are taught by MD students . We have demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the mean MCQ test scores in each year of the PT student cohort after the peer-to-peer intervention . The findings also suggest positive receptivity of PT students , with Year 3 students showing significant attitudinal improvements in teamwork and collaboration . Year 1 students demonstrated the greatest readiness to participate in shared learning , suggesting that ideally this type of intervention should be offered in the initial years of PT education .
Acknowledgements
The study was conceived by Professor Isabel Stabile who consulted with senior faculty in the Department of Physiotherapy , particularly Dr Mark Sacco and Dr John Xerri de Caro , who provided helpful insights into the study design . All subsequent planning , teaching , and evaluation was conducted by the student authors of this study . Professor Stabile also oversaw the writing of this paper .
References
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