| The use of the case based method of teaching has become widespread in many different professional education programs such as business, medicine, and teacher education. However, controlled experimental research to study the effectiveness of this teaching method is limited and what does exist is inconclusive. In this study the effectiveness of the case method of teaching was compared to traditional lecture in the retention of athletic training knowledge with group discussion included in both methods. In addition, a subjective measure of subjects' level of learning was studied through the use of an attitude questionnaire. Thirty-six undergraduate students who were athletic training majors at the same four year institution volunteered for this study. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: case study, case study with discussion, lecture, and lecture with discussion. The main experimental data utilized a 4 x 2 x 2 (teaching method x injury topic x test time) MANOVA with repeated measures on the last two factors to examine each hypothesis at the.05 level of significance. The dependent variable was a 20 item multiple-choice examination over two athletic training injury topics. Results showed no statistically significant difference between teaching method on the multiple-choice examinations F(3) = 1.11, p =.360. There was also no significant interaction effect of teaching method by injury topic by testing time F(3) =.83, p =.488. The study did show that subjects in the case, case with discussion, and lecture treatment groups scored significantly higher on an immediate post-test compared to a post-test taken four weeks later. However, the subjects in the lecture with discussion treatment showed no significant difference between the two testing times F(1) =.01, p =.934. A subjective measurement of learning was also studied with the use of an attitude questionnaire. Results of the Kruskal-Wallis one way analysis of variance showed no significant difference between teaching method on attitude; chi square(3) = 3.23 p =.3574. The results of this study do not support anecdotal claims that the case method of teaching is more effective than the traditional lecture method of teaching. |
