Cooperative Learning Effects on Teamwork Attitudes in Clinical Laboratory Science Students

Clinical Laboratory Science, Summer 2005 by Laatsch, Linda, Britton, Lynda, Keating, Susan, Kirchner, Phyllis, Et al

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical laboratory science (CLS) student attitudes toward teamwork when using cooperative learning (CL) as compared to individual learning (IL) in a course and to determine if learning method affects student attitudes toward the course itself.

DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: This was a multiinstitutional study involving eight classrooms in seven states. The effects of CL and IL on student attitudes were compared for 216 student participants.

INTERVENTION: One group of students learned the course material through a CL approach while a second group of students learned via a traditional IL approach. For each course, the instructor, class material, and examination content was identical for the CL and IL students; the only variable was learning method.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Student attitudes toward teamwork and toward the course were evaluated with a 35-item Attitude Questionnaire administered as a posttest. Mean scores for the CL and IL groups were compared using the Student t-test for independent samples.

RESULTS: No significant difference was seen between the CL and IL students when assessing the first 30 questions on student attitudes toward teamwork (means = 98.42 and 98.22, respectively) when all institutions were combined. Comparable results were seen for each of the eight institutions. For the five questions comparing attitudes toward the course itself, there usually was no significant difference in attitude between CL and IL students. The only classrooms where CL students had more positive attitudes were those with instructors who had more than 10 years experience with CL.

CONCLUSION: Results suggest that CL produces similar student attitudes toward teamwork and toward a CLS course as does IL.

ABBREVIATIONS: CL = cooperative learning; CLS = clinical laboratory science; IL = individual learning; STAD = student-teams achievement divisions.

INDEX TERMS: active learning; cooperative learning; instructional methods; teaching strategies.

Clin Lab Sci 2005;18(3):150

Healthcare institutions are increasingly encouraging interdisciplinary communications among health professionals to optimize patient care. Laboratorians are essential to patient outcome teams; however, they lack a strong background in communication and teamwork skills.1 Within the laboratory itself, managers have instituted self-directed work teams as one response to the demand by hospital administrators to increase laboratory productivity.2

Employers now expect clinical laboratory science (CLS) graduates to possess teamwork skills at the time of careerentry.3 Several surveys have found that the ability to function effectively within a team ranks high among the competency areas required for laboratory careers.4"7 The current Standards of Accredited Educational Programs for the Clinical Laboratory Scientist/Medical Technologist state that the curriculum must include "principles of interpersonal and interdisciplinary communication and team-building skills".8

Preparation for teamwork may be lacking in CLS educational programs. In a study of 410 healthcare professionals from eight allied health disciplines, participants were surveyed to determine their attitudes toward, and preparedness for, interdisciplinary teams.9 Medical technologists reported the least experience with teamwork in their undergraduate education of any of the eight health professions, and they were the least supportive of teamwork in general.

Because of the already tightly-packed CLS curriculum, educators are encouraged to incorporate teamwork and communication skill-building within existing courses.6 In a recent study, 69% of 83 medical laboratory educators reported that they incorporate some type of group activity in their courses.7 However, some of these activities are only one-time group presentations.

It has been proposed that using cooperative learning (CL) within the classroom is an important vehicle for teaching teamwork skills to laboratorians.10,11 CL is one form of collaborative learning "in which students of all performance levels work together in small groups toward a group goal".12 Most empirical studies of CL have been performed at the elementary and secondary education level. These studies have provided strong support for the use of CL to improve interpersonal and intergroup relationships." An increasing number of CL reports from institutions of higher learning provide anecdotal evidence that the same may be true for the college-aged population.

Proponents of using CL in CLS education cite enhanced ability to work within a team as one benefit of this methodology. However, the effectiveness of this learning strategy in undergraduate CLS education is poorly understood, and there is little empirical data to support these claimed benefits. A recent study used a teamwork assessment tool to evaluate CLS student skills and knowledge about teamwork in both CL and lecture courses.14 The authors found no statistical differences between pre and posttest scores for either the CL or lecture groups. Limitations in this study include a small number of participants (N = 22), short timeframe (4-week course of study), and the use of different instructors for the CL and traditional lecture classes.