Introduction: To evaluate the effectiveness of team-based
self-directed learning (SDL) in the teaching of the
undergraduate Year 5 surgical posting.
Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study was
conducted to develop and administer a team-based SDL
versus a conventional SDL to teach undergraduate surgical
topics. One hundred and seventy-four medical students who
underwent the Year 5 surgical posting were recruited. They
were assigned to two groups receiving either the team-based SDL or the conventional SDL. Pre- and post-SDL
assessments were conducted to determine students’
understanding of selected surgical topics. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect student
feedback on the team-based SDL.
Results: The team-based SDL group scored significantly
higher than the conventional SDL group in the post-SDL
assessment (74.70 ± 6.81 vs. 63.77 ± 4.18, t = −12.72, p <
0.01). The students agreed that the team-based SDL method
facilitated their learning process.
Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the use of a team-based SDL is an effective learning strategy for teaching the
Year 5 surgical posting. This method encouraged peer
discussion and promoted teamwork in completing task
assignments to achieve the learning objectives
