The effect of using peer-teaching in teaching physiology course on the learning of medical students and their satisfaction

Education through peer-teachers is one of the teaching-learning methods that is being increasingly used in various studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of peer-teachers in teaching physiology on learning and satisfaction of medical students.

This semi-experimental study was conducted on medical students of the basic sciences in Mashhad Medical School in 2021-2022. Students were divided into two groups: conventional and Peer teaching methods. The average score of the quizzes at the beginning and end of each session, final exam score, and rate of information retention were compared between the two groups. A survey was also conducted among students to assess their satisfaction.

The mean scores of the quizzes in the peer-teaching group were significantly higher than the control group (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in the final exam score. In the PT group, the greatest improvement in grades was in students with GPA above 17 compared to students with GPA between 14 and 17 and GPA less than 14, but in the control group, there was no significant difference between students with different GPAs. Examining the rate of data retention showed that the students in the peer-teaching group had a higher score than the control group. 83% of students were highly satisfied with this teaching method.

The use of peer-teaching method improved motivation among medical students and increase their learning process, in addition to creating satisfaction among them.