A meta-analysis of students' readiness assurance test performance with team-based learning

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Team-based learning (TBL) is a pedagogical approach used in medical fields for small group discussions.
• The readiness assurance test (RAT) is a key component distinguishing TBL from problem-based learning (PBL).
• Limited research exists on the differences between group RAT (GRAT) and individual RAT (IRAT) in medical TBL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis examining learner performance in GRAT versus IRAT within TBL for healthcare professions students.
• To compare group and individual assessment scores in TBL settings.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted in databases such as PubMed and Cochrane.
• Included studies underwent quality assessment.
• A meta-analysis was performed to synthesize the findings from the selected studies.

Main Results:

• Eleven studies involving 1575 participants were analyzed, with study quality scores ranging from 4 to 7.
• Mean GRAT scores were significantly higher than mean IRAT scores (SMD = 2.027, p < 0.001).
• A nursing-only subgroup demonstrated significantly higher GRAT performance compared to IRAT (SMD = 2.3), explaining overall heterogeneity.

Conclusions:

• Students consistently achieve higher scores on GRAT compared to IRAT in TBL.
• The superior performance in GRAT, especially within the nursing student subgroup, suggests effective teamwork and collaboration.
• Further meta-regression was not possible due to insufficient data on moderating factors like age and intervention duration.