The Effect of Passive and Active Education Methods Applied in Repetition Activities on the Retention of Anatomical Knowledge.

Esther M Bergman,Jan G M Kooloos,Marc A T M Vorstenbosch,Annelieke N Schepens-Franke,Marieke A G P Scheffers

doi:10.1002/ase.1924

Abstract

This study examines the long‐term retention of anatomical knowledge from 180 students after various repetition activities. The retention of anatomical knowledge was assessed by multiple‐choice tests at five different points in time: before and after a course in Functional Anatomy, before and after repetition activities that occurred 14 weeks after this course, and 28 weeks after this course to establish long‐term retention. Students were divided into five groups: one without any repetition activity, one with a restricted repetition activity (the multiple‐choice test), and three groups that were offered repetition activities (traditional lecture, e‐learning module, and small group work in the dissection room). During all three repetition activities the same information was conveyed, and this content was not revisited in other courses for the duration of the study. The results showed that students who did not engage in a repetition activity scored significantly lower on the long‐term retention test compared to all other groups (ANCOVA: P = 0.0001). Pair‐wise comparison with estimated means showed that the other four groups, regardless of the type of repeating activity, did not differ in the amount of knowledge they retained during any of the five assessments (P = 0.008, P = 0.0001, P = 0.001, and P = 0.0001, respectively). This study suggests that the type of repetition activity has no effect on knowledge retention both immediately following the activity and in the long term. It is concluded that the repetition of anatomical knowledge in any form is beneficial for students and will likely improve student outcomes in a curriculum that builds on prior knowledge.

Highlights

The aim of medical education is to achieve long-term learning among students, resulting in a cohesive framework of knowledge, ready to be applied in the clinic
Intervals of months or sometimes even years are present between the initial learning of knowledge and the moment this knowledge is expanded in a subsequent course or needs to be applied during clinical rotations
This study examined the long-term retention of anatomical knowledge after the engagement in various repetition activities

Summary

Introduction

The aim of medical education is to achieve long-term learning among students, resulting in a cohesive framework of knowledge, ready to be applied in the clinic. Intervals of months or sometimes even years are present between the initial learning of knowledge and the moment this knowledge is expanded in a subsequent course or needs to be applied during clinical rotations Experiments conducted with such long intervals show the same retention curve: knowledge retention decreases sharply during the first interval, and the decline stabilizes (Conway et al, 1992; Semb and Ellis, 1994; Cepeda et al, 2008; Custers, 2010; Kooloos et al, 2012). In his review study on long-term retention of basic sciences knowledge, Custers (2010) concludes that irrespective of the subject matter or type of knowledge or skill, after a retention interval of one year, about 33% of the gained knowledge is lost After two years, this loss increases to about 50%. Many factors, such as students’ individual learning abilities or retrieval conditions, might contribute to the longevity of retention, one element seems to be the most important: repetition

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