Perceptions from Graduates of Professional Athletic Training Programs Involved in Peer-Assisted Learning

Context: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has been shown to benefit students across educational levels. Current research has investigated perceptions of PAL, postgraduate impact, as well as prevalence. This study investigated athletic training students' perceptions of an intentional PAL pedagogy on both the peer-student and peer-tutor. In this study, the peer-tutors had training prior to implementation. Objective: To explore athletic training students' perceptions of an intentional PAL pedagogy. Design: Qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Setting: Focus group interviews with professional undergraduate athletic training students. Patients or Other Participants: Eleven athletic training students from 1 accredited athletic training program volunteered for this study. Five students (4 females, 1 male) serving as peer-tutors and 6 (5 females, 1 male) peer-students participated in focus group interviews in spring term 2015. The peer-tutors completed training prior to tutoring the peer-students. Main Outcome Measure(s): Focus group interviews were conducted with a structured interview protocol. The peer-student and peer-tutor groups were asked separate questions. Interview data were analyzed inductively to uncover dominant themes, first by organizing the data, then summarizing into codes, and finally interpreting. Credibility was secured through member checking, triangulation, and investigator triangulation. Results: Themes indicated that both peer-students and peer-tutors perceived that, through PAL, they collaborated, built relationships, gained confidence, were exposed to varied techniques, and the PAL pedagogy served as a way to review and practice, which changed their clinical educational experiences. Peer-tutors developed skills in leadership and teaching through their PAL experience. Conclusions: Evidence demonstrated that PAL created a learning environment in the student's clinical educational experiences that involved collaboration, relationships, confidence building, and more time for review and practice.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perceptions from Athletic Training Students Involved in an Intentional Peer-Assisted Learning Pedagogy

Bates

2016

“…The work of peers practicing applied and psychomotor skills, especially in the athletic training clinical setting, is commonplace and well supported by the literature. 8,9,38,55 Each of the pedagogic strategies (PAL model, [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] reciprocal teaching style, [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] and structured peer feedback [44][45][46][47][48][49][50] ) has been identified in the literature independently, but they have not yet been described as implemented together. Independent of each other, each of these pedagogic strategies support student learning, but together, these 3 strategies may offer a whole greater than the sum of their parts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, the PAL model has been found to encourage a variety of positive learning outcomes, such as enhanced learning of content, improved communication and socialization, decreased stress or improved confidence, [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] improved performance of skills, 37 and success on the Board of Certification examination. 38 The PAL model has also been valued as contributing to decreasing the demands of the preceptor 7 or course instructor, 39 but in no regard should the model replace their responsibilities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complementary Teaching Strategies Anchored in the Peer-Assisted Learning Model

Rosencrum

Hildebrand

Negron

et al. 2021

Context Peer learning often happens naturally in athletic training education. Deliberate use of evidence-based learning models and strategies related to peer learning could make the peer work more effective. Objective To describe the approach to learning in the athletic training classroom, using the peer-assisted learning model, reciprocal teaching style, and structured peer feedback, that may improve student progress toward learning outcomes. Background The 3 complementary strategies have been described independently in the athletic training literature as well as in other health care curricula. The positive findings related to student learning continues to support the use of these pedagogic practices; however, they have not been explored as a collective way to design a course that includes a multitude of cognitive and psychomotor competencies. The reciprocal teaching style and structured peer feedback complement the peer-assisted learning model, offering a familiar didactic environment to address learning outcomes. Description Two therapeutic modalities courses were taught using the peer-assisted learning model with the use of reciprocal teaching style to encourage the expected student roles and behaviors. Structured peer feedback offered opportunities for increased student socialization and focus on improving clinical skills through low-stakes interactions. Advantage(s) The integration of reciprocal teaching style and structured peer feedback within the peer-assisted learning model may allow students to deliberately interact with each other and progress through course content and application. Conclusion(s) Through purposeful course design, athletic training educators may foster a classroom environment (lecture and lab) that focuses students on practicing skills and reinforcing correct technique through productive and constant communication.

Developing Cognitive Skills Through Active Learning: A Systematic Review of Health Care Professions

Harris

Bacon

2019

Objective To systematically review current literature to determine whether active learning is more successful than passive learning at producing cognitive skills in health care professions students. Data Sources An electronic search was conducted in 4 databases: EBSCO-CINAHL, EBSCO-Sport Discus, Educational Resources Information Center, and PubMed. Search terms included: millennial AND health education, active learning AND knowledge retention, flipped classroom AND learning outcomes, problem based learning AND learning outcomes, problem based learning AND student confidence, active learning AND critical thinking, higher order thinking AND active learning. Study Selection We included studies if they were published in English between 2007 and 2017 and evaluated outcomes of an active learning intervention. Studies of nonhealth care disciplines, practicing health care practitioners, or studies that did not address the primary research questions were excluded. Data Extraction Study design, health care discipline, intervention used, assessment measures, outcome(s) measures, main results, and conclusions were extracted from each article, as appropriate. Data Synthesis Articles were categorized based on capacity to answer 1 or both of the research questions. Conclusions were summarized according to the learning technique used and its effectiveness in regard to studied learning outcome. Out of 85 studies on lower-order cognition, 61 (72%) indicated active learning techniques were effective at achieving improved recall, understanding, and/or application of course material. Of 69 studies on higher-order cognition, 58 (84%) supported active learning over passive instruction for improving students' confidence in or performance of analytical, evaluative, and creative skills. Conclusions Active learning produces gains to both lower- and higher-order cognition at levels equal to, and more often, greater than the use of passive learning methods. Despite this evidence, we believe more high-quality, well-designed prospective studies using validated assessment measures are needed to endorse the value of these methods in producing cognitive skills.