Comparative Analysis of Peer-Assisted Jigsaw Teaching Strategy vs Conventional Didactic Teaching With and Without...

Medicaleducation in India is transitioning to a competency-based curriculum, necessitating effective teaching methodologies and resources. This study compares the effectiveness of Peer-Assisted Jigsaw Teaching Strategy (JTS) versus conventional didactic teaching, supplemented with either ScholarRx Bricks or traditional textbooks, in enhancing the academic performance and perceptions of first-year medical students.

Afour-armed randomized trial was conducted with 92 first-year medical students. Participants were divided into two main groups: JTS (Group A) and conventional didactic teaching (Group B). Each group was further divided into subgroups using either ScholarRx Bricks (Rx) or traditional textbooks (C). Pre, post, and final theoretical and clinical assessments, as well as motivation, confidence, and academic perception scores, were collected. Data were analyzed using mixed effects ordinal regression and other statistical methods.

Post-intervention, significant improvements in motivation (p=0.009) and confidence (p=0.013) were observed, particularly in the J.Rx group. Theory scores showed remarkable increases in the J.Rx group (p<0.001), while clinical scores improved notably in both J.Rx (p=0.004) and J.C (p<0.05) groups. Academic perception scores also showed significant enhancements, especially in the J.Rx group.

The Jigsaw Teaching Strategy, particularly when paired with ScholarRx Bricks, significantly improved motivation, confidence, and academic performance compared to conventional didactic methods. The collaborative nature of JTS and the engaging ScholarRx modules contributed to these positive outcomes. Future research should explore the long-term impacts and involve larger, more diverse cohorts to validate these findings.