Comparison of discovery and didactic instruction in medical technology

A comparison of the effectiveness of discovery and didactic instruction in medical technology was done using twenty university sophomores and juniors. A pre- and post-test design was used. Two treatment groups received differing instructional strategies during discussions once a week with both groups receiving the same lecture material and laboratory competency requirements during a full quarter's work. The results indicate neither the didactic or discovery learning approach was more effective using group mean gain scores on the pre- and posttests and the final examination. The sophomores and juniors within each group also showed no significant differences on the pre- and posttests. An attitudinal rating scale distributed each week following the discussion period showed the students as having increased verbal participation, slightly increased frustration levels, increased interest, increased motivation for further study, and increased overall enjoyment of the discovery learning sessions compared to the didactic sessions.