Abstract:
This study aimed to identify differences between two groups of students at the Mrília Medical School, the first including 2nd-year undergraduates (n = 75) having been exposed to the Problem-Based Learning method (PBL) and the second including 4th-year students exposed to the traditional method. The two groups simultaneously received the same multiple-choice test immediately after completion of their Nephrology course, with comparable curricular contents. The tests were evaluated independently by three Nephrology experts and graded from 0 to 3 based on four different subjective categories: depth of knowledge, whether knowledge is current, ability to relate to other fields of medical knowledge, and psycho-social connotations. Mean performance during the 2nd year was significantly lower than in the 4th year (p < 0.01), especially regarding questions pertaining to current state of knowledge in the field of Nephrology (p < 0.025), suggesting that 2nd-year students make insufficient use of periodicals and indicating the need for adequate tutorial feedback for PBL students on this particular issue.
Descriptors:
Education, medical; Nephrology - education; Problem-based learning - methods; Preceptorship