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Greater knowledge gain with structured than student-directed learning in Child Health : cluster randomized trial . The aim of this study was to detect a difference in knowledge gain between students receiving structured versus student-directed learning for the two-week Child Health outpatient module . A total of 138 phase 3 ( year 4 ) medical students in 10 two-week paediatric outpatient blocks at the Department of Child Health , University of Dundee , Scotland , were randomized to student-directed or structured learning between January and December 2002 . Pre- and post-course tests were administered at the start and the end of the attachment ; 129 students sat both tests . Results are presented as mean scores with standard deviations or 95 % confidence intervals ( CI ) in parentheses . The primary outcome measure was gain in knowledge of the Child Health core curriculum that is covered in the outpatient setting . Although pre-course scores were similar ( student-directed 25.3 ( 7.3 ) ; structured 24.8 ( 7.5 ) ) the structured approach resulted in higher post-course scores in comparison with the student-directed approach ( student-directed 41.8 ( 9.4 ) ; structured 53.8 ( 8.8 ) ; p < 0.01 ) . Knowledge gain showed significant differences between the two learning approaches ( student-directed 16.5 ( 3.7 ) ; structured 29.1 ( 3.8 ) , difference = 12.6 ( 95 % CI 11.3 to 13.9 ) ) . Low pre-course scores or gender did not affect knowledge gain . In the Child Health outpatient setting , the 'traditional ' structured approach led to significantly greater knowledge gain in comparison with the 'novel ' student-directed approach . The findings emphasize the importance of careful evaluation of novel medical education strategies before their implementation in medical schools , and the need for further research to define the effective methods for delivering medical education in Child Health .
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Intervention_Other
structured
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Intervention_Educational
student-directed learning
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Intervention_Other
structured
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Intervention_Educational
versus
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Intervention_Other
student-directed learning
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Intervention_Control
student-directed
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Intervention_Other
structured learning
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Outcome_Mental
knowledge gain
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Outcome_Mental
knowledge gain
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Outcome_Other
Pre- and post-course tests
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Outcome_Mental
gain in knowledge
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Outcome_Mental
pre-course scores
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Outcome_Mental
post-course scores
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Outcome_Mental
Knowledge gain
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Outcome_Mental
pre-course scores
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Outcome_Mental
knowledge gain
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Outcome_Mental
knowledge gain
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Participant_Condition
Health
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Participant_Age
students
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Participant_Sample-size
138
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Participant_Sample-size
129