Educational methodology in an obstetric and gynecologic medical school curriculum: a comparison of self-instructional with traditional methods.

Five successive groups of third-year medical students were identically tested on the subject "diagnosis of early pregnancy" at the end of their course in obstetrics and gynecology. The first group served as control, receiving no specific instruction on the subject. The next four groups did receive instruction on the subject and in the following ways: tape-slide program, lecture, instructional objectives alone, and instructional objectives plus the same tape-slide program. The average examination scores with S. D. were 40 plus or minus 11, 68 plus or minus 15, 48 plus or minus 17, 42 plus or minus 14, and 83 plus or minus 20 respectively. Analysis of these results reveals that the tape-slide program produced significantly better scores than an identical lecture or the objectives alone, but that accompanying the tape-slide program with the objectives maximized learning. Ramifications and causes of these findings are discussed in detail.