Listening, reading, writing - which method leads to the best learning outcome?

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Education
• Comparative Pedagogy

Background:

• Lectures are a traditional but questioned teaching method in veterinary schools.
• Innovative strategies like case-based learning are increasingly used.
• The effectiveness of lectures versus active learning methods needs further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the acceptance and learning outcomes of reading, listening to a presentation, and writing a summary in veterinary education.
• To evaluate student preferences for different teaching methods.

Main Methods:

• A cross-over design study involving 151 fifth-year veterinary students.
• Students engaged in reading, listening to a presentation, and group writing tasks on reproduction topics.
• Learning outcomes assessed via multiple-choice tests one week later.

Main Results:

• Group writing yielded the best learning outcomes, potentially due to collaborative work.
• Listening to presentations was the second-best method, not significantly different from writing.
• Student preference ranked lectures highest, followed by reading and then writing.

Conclusions:

• Lectures remain valuable but can be supplemented with writing tasks to enhance learning in veterinary education.
• Active, student-centered approaches like writing summaries improve engagement and long-term retention.
• Developing writing skills is crucial for veterinary practice.