title: Instructional scaffolding to improve students' skills in evaluating clinical literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To implement and assess the effectiveness of an activity to teach pharmacy students to critically evaluate clinical literature using instructional scaffolding and a Clinical Trial Evaluation Rubric.
  
  
  METHODS
  The literature evaluation activity centered on a single clinical research article and involved individual, small group, and large group instruction, with carefully structured, evidence-based scaffolds and support materials centered around 3 educational themes: (1) the reader's awareness of text organization, (2) contextual/background information and vocabulary, and (3) questioning, prompting, and self-monitoring (metacognition).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students initially read the article, scored it using the rubric, and wrote an evaluation. Students then worked individually using a worksheet to identify and define 4 to 5 vocabulary/concept knowledge gaps. They then worked in small groups and as a class to further improve their skills. Finally, they assessed the same article using the rubric and writing a second evaluation. Students' rubric scores for the article decreased significantly from a mean pre-activity score of 76.7% to a post-activity score of 61.7%, indicating that their skills in identifying weaknesses in the article's study design had improved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Use of instructional scaffolding in the form of vocabulary supports and the Clinical Trial Evaluation Rubric improved students' ability to critically evaluate a clinical study compared to lecture-based coursework alone.
authors.affiliation: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 87131-0001, USA. sdawn@salud.unm.edu
authors.forename: Stefani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dawn
authors.forename: Karen D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Dominguez
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Troutman
authors.forename: Rucha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cone
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004512:Education, Pharmacy; D004521:Educational Measurement; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D013339:Students, Pharmacy