Abstract
BackgroundTeam-based learning (TBL) is increasingly being utilized across medical fields by engaging students in small group discussions. The readiness assurance test (RAT) is an essential feature that differentiates TBL from problem-based learning (PBL) activity sequences. No publication has discussed differences in the RAT in TBL in medical schools. The purpose of this meta-analysis study was to examine the performance of learners in terms of group RAT (GRAT) and individual RAT (IRAT) scores in TBL for students of healthcare professions.MethodsDatabases, including PubMed and Cochrane were searched using several terms. We assessed the quality of included studies and conducted a meta-analysis.ResultsIn total, 11 studies with 1575 participants were identified. Quality assessment scores of these studies ranged 4 ~ 7. Mean GRAT scores were significantly higher than mean IRAT scores (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 2.027, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.657 ~ 2.486, p heterogeneity < 0.001). Although the test of subgroup differences was insignificant (p = 0.113), the nursing-only subgroup showed much better performance in the GRAT than the IRAT (SMD = 2.3CI: 95% CI = 2.0 ~ 2.6, I2 = 48.77%) compared to the others subgroup which included students from different majors. The subgroup analysis explained the heterogeneity in the overall analysis. Because of inadequate information from these 11 studies, a meta-regression could not explore the source of heterogeneity in terms of the mean age, duration of the intervention, preparation time before the RAT, and previous TBL experienced by students.ConclusionsStudents achieved significantly higher scores for the GRAT than for the IRAT, especially the group which only included nursing students, which implies excellent collaboration in the group of nursing students.
Highlights
Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly being utilized across medical fields by engaging students in small group discussions
Following evaluation using the inclusion criteria, 5 articles were removed since there was no available quantitative information related to the individual RAT (IRAT) and group RAT (GRAT)
One study conducted by Burgess, Ayton [11] was excluded, because the GRAT and IRAT scores could not be compared to each other, as this study reported students’ GRAT and IRAT scores using two different scoring systems
Summary
Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly being utilized across medical fields by engaging students in small group discussions. No publication has discussed differences in the RAT in TBL in medical schools. Problem-based learning (PBL) and team-based learning (TBL) are both commonly used instructional strategies in the medical field. They are implemented to enhance students’ clinical reasoning and knowledge acquisition by having them engage in small-group discussions [1, 2]. While both models embody the element of group discussions, problem-based learning focuses on the pedagogy of learning through problem-solving process and team-based learning features the collaboration aspect of the learning process. TBL provides an attractive feature desired by the medical field [3, 4]
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