Influence of type of curriculum on students' perceptions of the medical course: A compilation of results from the cognitive behavior survey, attitudes toward social issues in medicine survey, and learning environment questionnaire

Background: This study administered selected scales from the Cognitive Behavior Survey, Attitudes Toward Social Issues in Medicine survey, and the Learning Environment Questionnaire. Data were gathered from other medical schools to put results into context. Purpose: To present results on these scales from other medical schools and to compare the effects of type of curriculum on the results. Methods: Articles that had cited the articles that originally presented the scales used were searched for Results were organized by type of curriculum and effect sizes were calculated where possible. Results: Within the limits of small numbers of studies so far, problem-based learning (PBL) curricula appear to have much more positive effects on students' reported cognitive behaviors than do hybrid curricula. Both have substantial positive effects on students' perceptions of the learning environment (PBL medium to large; hybrid small to medium). Neither appears to have much effect on students' attitudes toward social issues in medicine. Conclusion: These data provide a starting point for further study of some of the effects of curricular interventions. Copyright (C) 2004 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.