title: Learning pulmonary function interpretation: deductive versus inductive methods.
abstract: Volunteer undergraduate medical students were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group were given pulmonary function data and the correct diagnoses from 18 patients. They were told to try to derive the rules by which the diagnoses were made. The other group were given the data from the same 18 patients, but were required to use a computer-assisted instructional program to arrive at the diagnoses in a deductive fashion. Both groups were pre- and post-tested. The deductive method provided higher post-test results. The inductive method took longer and produced more dropouts from the study.
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D004501:Education, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D013337:Students, Medical