2021 Volume 67 Issue 4 Pages 367-372
Objective Through a peer-assisted learning conference in pediatric bedside learning (BSL), we investigated how providing lectures to and receiving lectures from colleagues affects learning in medical students.
Design Ninety medical students were asked to participate in a pediatric BSL course at Juntendo University.
Methods A “medical student peer-assisted learning conference” was held, and medical students were given the opportunity to present lectures. One student played the role of a lecturer, and the other students acted as students. All the students took turns playing the role of the lecturer. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the participants to allow them to reflect on their own presentations.
Results Many students who played lecturers provided lively presentations. For them, listening to the excellent presentations of their colleagues was a stimulus for learning. Altogether, 25.6% students realized that their own lectures should be improved, and this awareness may have made them more interested in their colleagues’ lectures. Many students had positive opinions about the choice of themes. The Department of Pediatrics, with its wide variety of fields, also seemed to contribute to the students’ active choice of themes.
Conclusions The conference was very effective as an educational opportunity that not only piqued the interest of students but also provided a good opportunity for them to reflect on and recognize deficiencies in their own presentations. However, this study did not obtain sufficient evidence that demonstrated a continuous increase in the motivation to learn among students. Continuously increasing such opportunities is essential in medical education.
