Impact of Peer-Assisted Learning on Anatomy Knowledge among Medical Students
Keywords:
Peer-assisted learning, Medical students, Knowledge, Medical education, Collaborative learningAbstract
Background: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is an increasingly used educational strategy in medical education that promotes active participation, collaborative learning, and knowledge sharing among students. It may provide a useful complement to conventional faculty-led teaching by encouraging students to actively engage with learning material.
Aims: To assess the impact of structured peer-assisted learning on knowledge among medical students at the College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, Kalyani, West Bengal and College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital and to evaluate changes in knowledge following the intervention.
Materials and Methods: A prospective educational interventional study was conducted over one year among 500 medical students at the College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, Kalyani, West Bengal and College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital. Students meeting the predefined eligibility criteria participated in structured peer-assisted learning activities. Knowledge was assessed using a standardized assessment before and after the intervention. Pre- and post-intervention scores were compared statistically.
Results: The mean knowledge score increased from 11.84 ± 3.21 before PAL to 16.72 ± 2.58 after the intervention, with a mean improvement of 4.88 points (p<0.001). The mean percentage score increased from 59.2 ± 16.1% to 83.6 ± 12.9%. The proportion of students with good knowledge increased from 18.0% to 58.0%, while poor knowledge decreased from 32.8% to 8.4% (p<0.001). Significant improvement was observed across all academic years.
Conclusion: Peer-assisted learning significantly improved knowledge among medical students and may serve as an effective supplementary strategy to conventional teaching.
