Comparison of Didactic Lectures and Open-Group Discussions in Surgical Teaching
Siripong Sirikurnpiboon MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Surgery, Rajavithi Hospital, College of Medicine, Rangsit University, Bangkok, Thailand
Background and
Objective : The teaching of medicine has varied and has continued to develop until today. Most courses rely
on the lecture although it may bring less benefit to students. Another teaching technique, the open group discussion, may not
be the most effective, but is widely accepted as a teaching development especially for its overall improvement of student skills.
Basically, the teaching of surgery has more limitations than other subjects because patients with critical conditions are
required. The present study was designed to compare the effectiveness of these two teaching methods, the lecture and the open
group discussion, in the Department of Surgery, Rajavithi Hospital.
Material and Method: Fifth year medical students enrolled from 2554-2555 BE (AD 2011-2012) were recruited in the study
and randomly divided in groups by the Office of Administration, College of Medicine, Rangsit University. A colorectal surgeon
taught the subject, common anorectal disease, throughout the study year. The drawing method was used to randomize the
members grouped by teaching methods. The assessment comprised multiple choice questions (MCQ) and multiple essay
questions (MEQ).
Results : Seventy-three students (39 females, 34 males) were recruited. Students’ basic characteristic showed no association
between groups of teaching methods. Higher mean MEQ scores were found in the open discussion group (55.83%) compared
with those taught by lecture (31.23%), exhibiting significant difference (p<0.001). With respect to MCQ1 and MCQ 4, students
in the open discussion group had higher scores than those in the lecture group), was also with statistical significance (p =
0.02).
Conclusion : Teaching medicine differs from other disciplines. To achieve the most effective teaching performance, teaching
methods may be limited in some subjects. This study was a partial project for teaching in the Department of Surgery. It was
shown that students in the open discussion group had better MCQ and MEQ scores than those in the lecture group. In
developing student skills, giving open discussion provided greater interaction between instructors and students. Importantly,
the instructor should manage and facilitate questioning techniques to more effectively transfer course content.
Keywords : Surgery, Teaching, Randomize
