Medical Students Perception to Different Types of Reasoning Questions in Histology Lectures

Abstract

Introduction: An effective questioning strategy can promote learner engagement during histology lectures for undergraduate medical students. The objective of the current study was to assess student perceptions about structurebased and function-based reasoning questions during histology lectures among first-year medical undergraduates.Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted among 150 students. Reasoning questions were formulated for seven general histology lectures. The students were exposed to two or three structure-based and function-based reasoning questions during the lecture. The students were given around two minutes to discuss the answers prior to discussion by the teacher. The questions were revisited at the end of the sessions to reinforce the underlying concepts. The students completed an anonymous perception questionnaire that consisted of 10 items and two open-ended questions on the merits and limitations of the intervention. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to estimate group differences. Results: The perceptions of students about both structure and function-based reasoning questions were positive. The perceptions about three items were significantly higher for the function-based reasoning questions. Significant gender differences in the perceptions about both types of questions were also noted for three items. Merits of the question-based lectures included a better understanding and increased interest levels. Inadequate coverage of the topic during lectures was a perceived demerit. Conclusions: Both structure-based and function-based reasoning questions incorporated in histology classes improved learner engagement. Further research could focus on the change in learning outcomes associated with the reasoning approach described in the present study.