Comparison of medical students' diagnostic reasoning skills in a traditional and a problem based learning curriculum

dc.creator	Barbara Goss
dc.creator	Katharine Reid
dc.creator	Agnes Dodds
dc.creator	Geoff McColl
dc.date	2011-09-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T22:09:13Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T22:09:13Z
dc.identifier	10.5116/ijme.4e64.055a
dc.identifier	2042-6372
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/ebc0e4885abb4c8da9492b42c5dd36f3
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/12603
dc.description	Objectives: This cross sectional study aimed to investigate the relative effectiveness of a problem based learning curriculum (PBL) and a traditional curriculum (TC) in the development of medical students' diagnostic reasoning skills. Methods: Junior and senior clinical students (n = 431) at a single clinical school of the University of Melbourne self-administered Bordage et al.'s Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI) to assess diagnostic reasoning skills during transition from a TC to a PBL curriculum. Mean scores for the flexibility in thinking and memory structure sub-scales were compared for students at junior and senior clinical levels under the two curricula using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: An effect of curriculum, Wilks' Lambda = .95, F (2, 426) = 11.67, p < .001, p2 =.05 and level of trainee, Wilks' Lambda = .86, F (2, 426) = 35.00, p <.001, p2 = .14 was evident on DTI scores overall. Senior students on average had higher flexibility in thinking (86.7 vs. 80.9) and memory structure scores (84.8 vs. 77.9) than junior students. Students in the TC had higher average flexibility in thinking (84.4 vs. 83.0) and memory structure scores (82.6 vs. 79.9) than students in the PBL curriculum. Conclusions: These results suggest both a developmental effect and a curriculum effect in the development of diagnostic reasoning skills. Contrary to expectations, a TC appears to favour the development of diagnostic reasoning skills compared with a PBL curriculum. This unexpected finding highlights to educators the importance of monitoring student attributes during curriculum change.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	IJME
dc.relation	http://www.ijme.net/archive/2/diagnostic-reasoning-skills-during-curriculum-change.pdf
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2042-6372
dc.rights	CC BY
dc.source	International Journal of Medical Education, Vol 2, Pp 87-93 (2011)
dc.subject	traditional medical curriculum
dc.subject	pbl
dc.subject	diagnostic reasoning
dc.subject	curriculum change
dc.subject	diagnostic thinking inventory
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	DOAJ:Education
dc.subject	DOAJ:Social Sciences
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.subject	Education (General)
dc.subject	L7-991
dc.subject	Education
dc.subject	L
dc.title	Comparison of medical students' diagnostic reasoning skills in a traditional and a problem based learning curriculum
dc.type	article