title: Comparison of self-instruction methods for teaching diagnostic testing.
abstract: In a randomized controlled trial, self-teaching booklets and computer media were evaluated for teaching diagnostic testing to dental students as a foundation for further development of clinical decision making skills. Effectiveness was assessed by pre- and post-tests. Reliability of these test instruments was examined by analyzing the pre- and post-test scores of 49 first year dental students who received no instruction. Forty-one second year dental students were exposed to clinical epidemiological principles applied to endodontic diagnosis through either self-teaching booklets or computer media. No statistically significant difference was found between the mean test scores of the students through self-teaching booklets and computer media. Although first and second year students showed a statistically significant improvement between the pre-test and post-test, the improvement in the second year class was greater. An addendum was later made to the main trial to compare the self-teaching booklet to the traditional lecture format in teaching endodontic diagnosis. Seventy-one third year dental students were exposed to these same materials through either a lecture or the self-teaching booklet and then similarly tested. There was no significant difference between the self-teaching booklet and traditional lecture for the third year students.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Puskas
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Birek
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dempster
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Heft
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torneck
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: McCulloch
mesh_terms: D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods; D003657:Decision Making; D003933:Diagnosis; D004497:Education, Dental; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011380:Programmed Instructions as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*