Examining the Impact of Case Studies on Student Learning, Interest, Motivation, and Belonging in Undergraduate Human Physiology

Abstract

Human physiology is a foundational course for future health practitioners. Previous research suggests case studies may improve students’ critical thinking and comprehension, but little is known about how case studies affect student interest, motivation, and belonging. The current quasi-experiment investigates the impact of integrating case studies into an otherwise lecture-based human physiology course, compared to traditional lecture-based teaching. We hypothesized that case studies would improve all student outcomes, especially for students from underrepresented groups. Results showed that students in the case study section received higher overall grades and scores for related questions on three exams, combined higher level Bloom’s questions on those exams, interest, motivation, and belonging to the course when compared to at least one, and in most cases both, of the comparison sections. We found few significant interactions between course section and student demographic groups, though improvements in final grades appear to be driven by improved grades for women.