Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Apr;56(4):365-373.
doi: 10.1111/medu.14672. Epub 2021 Oct 24.

Peer-assisted learning in medical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Clarissa Brierley  1 , Leila Ellis  2 , Emily Roisin Reid  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Peer-assisted learning in medical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Clarissa Brierley et al. Med Educ. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: The prevalence of peer-assisted learning (PAL) featuring alongside the core medical curriculum is increasing; however, the evidence base for PAL's efficacy on academic performance is limited. This systematic review of randomised studies of PAL in medical school sets out to assess the impact of PAL on academic outcomes in medical school and evaluate whether PAL confers a benefit in specific educational contexts.

Methods: A literature search was conducted across MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Web of Science and Education Research Complete. Titles and abstracts were screened, and records were selected following strict eligibility criteria. Following full-text assessment for eligibility, two reviewers independently extracted data from the final selection of records and a meta-analysis was performed. Studies were classified using a modified version of Kirkpatrick's levels of learning. Student test scores were standardised by calculating the standardised mean difference (SMD).

Results: Twenty-seven randomised controlled trials were eligible for inclusion, and twenty-one provided sufficient and complete data to enable meta-analysis. There was a significant improvement in the academic performance of medical students who received PAL compared with those in the control group (SMD = 0.52 [95% confidence interval 0.18-0.85]; p = .003). The impact of PAL was greater amongst clinical medical students (SMD = 0.63; p = .02) than preclinical medical students (SMD = 0.39; p = .08) and when used for teaching practical skills (SMD = 0.69; p = .001) compared with theory (SMD = -0.11; p = .21). Students taught by PAL also achieved better results in assessments conducted more than four weeks after course completion (SMD = 1.20; p = .04). [Correction added on 8 November 2020 after first publication. The data values in the Results section have been corrected in this version.] CONCLUSIONS: Medical students experiencing PAL benefit in terms of academic performance, relative to those not receiving PAL. PAL is of greatest value in the clinical stages of training and for practical skills. The long-term outcomes of PAL remain a priority for future research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Dataset use reported in

References

REFERENCES

    1. Lockspeiser TM, O'Sullivan P, Teherani A, Muller J. Understanding the experience of being taught by peers: the value of social and cognitive congruence. Adv Health Sci Educ. 2008;13(3):361-372.
    1. Topping KJ. The effectiveness of peer tutoring in further and higher education: a typology and review of the literature. High Educ. 1996;32(3):321-345.
    1. Topping K, Ehly S, eds. Peer-Assisted Learning. Mahwah, NJ & London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers; 1998. xviii, 371-xviii.
    1. Olaussen A, Reddy P, Irvine S, Williams B. Peer-assisted learning: time for nomenclature clarification. Med Educ Online. 2016;21(1):30974.
    1. Wadoodi A, Crosby JR. Twelve tips for peer-assisted learning: a classic concept revisited. Med Teach. 2002;24(3):241-244.

LinkOut - more resources