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Results
The primary aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness
of the PSLM. The method involved the selecting of student population, material
suited for required testing protocol, scheduling time for the research
study, and then calibrating the results. The images from The Visible Human
Project, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, offered an excellent
model for these studies.
The following was achieved in these studies:
1. The results of the pretest ranged from a low score of 0 to
a high of 4, out of a scale of 11, with a mean score of 1.89.
2. The study period materials for both Group A and Group B appeared
adequate to show a significant difference between the pretest and the posttest.
Group A used study materials consistent with the PSLM protocol, while Group
B was issued a randomly labeled identical image for study.
Twenty-eight (28) students took the first set of posttests, and listed
their answers according to guidelines indicating the brain layer/parts,
and no multiple choice questions related to the structures’ relative position
were administered (Table 1).
Table 1: First set of PSLM Studies
Variable |
Number of Cases |
Mean |
SD |
SE of Mean |
Group A |
15 |
9.6667 |
1.589 |
0.410 |
Group B |
13 |
3.1538 |
3.023 |
0.839 |
Levine's Test for Equality of Variance: F= 4.395 P= 0.046
t-test of equality of means
Variances |
t-value |
df |
2-Tail Sig |
SE of Difference |
95% CI of Diff |
Equal |
7.28 |
26 |
.000 |
0.895 |
(4.673, 8.352) |
Unequal |
6.98 |
17.57 |
.000 |
0.933 |
(4.548, 8.477) |
3. Group A’s average score was 9.6667 of a total possible right
of 11 with a standard deviation of 1.589. Group B scored on average 3.1538
out of 11 possible points. The mean difference between Group A and Group
B is 6.5128 which is highly significant. The test for the equality of the
means demonstrates that the two groups have equal population variance (Table
1).
4. The second set of posttests consisted of two tests with different
formats. One variety was the same as the posttest of previous studies.
In addition to this type, a multiple choice posttest which stressed adjacent
relationships of anatomical structures, selected from a random list, was
then administered. The results of these two posttests taken by 41 (forty-one)
students, 21 (twenty-one) in Group A, and 20 (twenty) in Group B, are detailed
in Tables Two and Three. Table Two presents the findings of the posttests
which required answers according to guidelines indicating brain layers/parts.
Table 2: Second Set of PSLM Studies: Written Identification
Exam
Variable |
Number of Cases |
Mean |
SD |
SE of Mean |
Group A |
21 |
9.0952 |
2.587 |
0.564 |
Group B |
20 |
5.4000 |
2.210 |
0.494 |
Levine's Test for Equality of Variance: F= 0.856 P= 0.360
t-test of equality of means
Variances |
t-value |
df |
2-Tail Sig |
SE of Difference |
95% CI of Diff |
Equal |
4.91 |
39 |
.000 |
0.753 |
(2.172, 5.219) |
Unequal |
4.93 |
38.56 |
.000 |
0.750 |
(2.177, 5.213) |
Table Three shows the results of the multiple-choice test.
Table 3: Second Set of PSLM Studies: Multiple Choice Exam
Variable |
Number of Cases |
Mean |
SD |
SE of Mean |
Group A |
21 |
9.4286 |
2.181 |
0.476 |
Group B |
20 |
4.8000 |
1.704 |
0.381 |
Levine's Test for Equality of Variance: F= 0.524 P= 0.474
t-test of equality of means
Variances |
t-value |
df |
2-Tail Sig |
SE of Difference |
95% CI of Diff |
Equal |
7.55 |
39 |
.000 |
0.613 |
(3.388, 5.869) |
Unequal |
7.59 |
37.60 |
.000 |
.610 |
(3.394, 5.863) |
The statistical analyses of both posttest forms denote a significant
difference of the mean score between the two groups. Group A consistently
showed a higher mean score than group B.
5. The second study period for Group B resulted in a much higher
score, subsequent to the utilization of the prescribed, sequenced, labeled
image, compared to the findings where Group B studied from a randomly labeled
duplicate image.
6. The second set of posttests for Group B was administered on
the same day as the first set of posttests. The results of the second set
of posttests for Group B, subsequent to the implementation of a prescribed,
sequence labeled image for study are displayed in Table 4.
Table 4: Paired Difference of Written Identification Exams for
Group B
(Comparative analysis of posttest 1 and posttest 2)
Variable
|
Number
of Pairs
|
Corr
|
2-tail
Sig
|
Mean
|
SD
|
SE of Mean
|
Posttest 1
|
19
|
0.157
|
0.522
|
5.3684
|
2.266
|
0.520
|
Posttest 2
|
9.8947
|
1.524
|
0.350
|
Paired Differences |
Mean
|
SD
|
SE of Mean
|
|
t-value
|
df
|
2-tail Sig
|
4.5263
|
2.525
|
.579
|
7.81
|
18
|
.000
|
95% CI (5.743, 3.309) |
Table 5: Paired Difference of Multiple Choice Exams for Group
B
(Comparative analysis of posttest 1 and posttest 2)
Variable
|
Number
of Pairs
|
Corr
|
2-tail
Sig
|
Mean
|
SD
|
SE of Mean
|
Posttest 1
|
19
|
-0.142
|
0.563
|
4.7895
|
1.751
|
0.402
|
Posttest 2
|
9.7895
|
1.084
|
0.249
|
Paired Differences |
Mean
|
SD
|
SE of Mean
|
|
t-value
|
df
|
2-tail Sig
|
5.0000
|
2.186
|
.501
|
9.97
|
18
|
.000
|
95% CI (6.054, 3.946) |
7. Results of the participant questionnaire are as follows:
A. When students were asked to state how they felt about their
performance on the Pretest compared to the final Posttests, the answers
ranged from "Not good" on the Pretest to "Excellent" on their final Posttest.
B. When students were questioned if they could define
and apply anatomical directional terms, 8 (eight) answered "No, or somewhat",
while 60 (sixty) answered "Yes".
C. When the students were asked to form an opinion about which
methods of labeling were preferred, 95 % selected the prescribed, sequenced
labeling system.
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