Effectiveness of a programmed instruction module on oral contraceptives

To determine effectiveness of a programmed instruction module (PIM) on oral contraceptives, during their obstetric experience 34 nursing students in the Department of Nursing at the California State University, Long Beach, were assigned to three groups, two experimental groups and one control group. In the first experimental group 12 students worked independently, at their own pace, using a PIM developed by the investigator. In the second experimental group the investigator taught 11 students the same content by the lecture-discussion (LD) method. For comparison purposes, a third group of 11 students (control) received their instruction on the topic via regular classroom teaching. No significant difference was found between the PIM AND LD groups. However, a significant (p less than .01) gain in knowledge regarding oral contraceptives was found when these two groups were compared to the regular classroom instruction group. In addition, over half of the students who used the PIM preferred this method of teaching.