Effectiveness of a question formulation rubric with second-year medical students: a randomized controlled trial

This study sought to measure student improvement using the rubric either with or without a linked 25-minute training session.METHODS: Randomized Controlled Trial. The authors tested the hypothesis that a 25-minute training session combined with use of a rubric would lead to higher scores than a brief explanation of this rubric alone. All 72 participating second-year medical students had a question formulation rubric briefly explained to them following a pre-test. Students in the intervention groups were taught how to formulate EBP questions for 25 minutes using the rubric followed with another 30 minutes of EBP search training. Students in the control group only received the 30 minutes of EBP search training in their small group labs. All 72 students took the post-test in which they formulated a question in response to a clinical vignette. Statistical analysis to test the hypothesis consisted of a two-sample paired t-test to measure between-group differences.DISCUSSION: Both the intervention and control groups performed significantly better on the post-test for question formulation skills than on the pre-test. When analyzed by extent of individual improvement between pre- and post-tests using a two-sample paired t-test for between group differences, the control group students receiving only a brief explanation of the rubric performed the same statistically (intervention 37.7 versus 37.4 control) as the intervention group students who received the same brief explanation follow...
Source: Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Source Type: research