Effects of a revised preclinical curriculum on students' perceptions of their cognitive behaviors, attitudes to social issues in medicine, and the learning environment.
BACKGROUND
A modular, systems-based preclinical curriculum acceptable to faculty members who had rejected problem-based learning was introduced in 1997.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate to what extent the new curriculum is meeting some of its major goals.


METHODS
We administered selected scales from 3 survey instruments to the last 2 classes in the old curriculum and the first 3 in the new curriculum. We also compared our results with those from other medical schools that had used the same scales.


RESULTS
The new curriculum has had positive effects on students' perceptions of the learning environment (effect sizes mostly small to medium, d = .03 to .60) but less effect on their attitudes to social issues in medicine or on their preference for conceptualization versus memorization when studying (most effect sizes below small; largest d = .026). Our results are similar to those for problem-based learning curricula for the learning environment scales and to traditional curricula for the cognitive behavior scales.


CONCLUSIONS
Some of the goals for the new curriculum are being achieved almost to the levels reported for problem-based curricula.
Schwartz
Peter L
PL
Department of Pathology, University of Otago Medical School, P.O. Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand. peter.schwartz@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Loten
Ernest G
EG
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001525:Behavioral Sciences / Q000193:education*; D003071:Cognition; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D012931:Social Environment; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires