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In the dynamic landscape of medical education, recognizing and catering to the diverse learning styles of students are pivotal for fostering academic success. This study investigates the intricate relationship between learning styles and academic performance among medical students. A sample comprising 201 second-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students from two batches participated in this cross-sectional study. Utilizing the Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales, students were categorized into six distinct learning styles: independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive, and participatory. Academic performance was assessed through cumulative scores at the end of the academic year. Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation analysis, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test, were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25, (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The findings revealed a rich diversity of learning styles among medical students, with independent learning emerging as the most prevalent style. However, intriguingly, no statistically significant difference in academic performance was discerned across the various learning styles. Nonetheless, correlation analysis uncovered weak positive correlations between independent, dependent, and participatory learning styles with academic performance, while an equally weak negative correlation was observed for the avoidant style. These results underscore the necessity for tailored educational strategies that can accommodate the heterogeneous learning preferences exhibited by medical students. While certain learning styles may be favoured by students, their adoption does not guarantee academic success. Thus, educators are urged to embrace flexible teaching methodologies to accommodate the diverse learning styles present within medical education, ultimately fostering student engagement and achievement. This study illuminates the imperative of understanding and addressing diverse learning styles among medical students, laying the foundation for further research into optimizing teaching methodologies in medical education.
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BACKGROUND: Pathology, a foundational yet challenging subject in medical education, is marked by its extensive content and intricate concepts. These complexities often pose a significant learning barrier for students, who must not only comprehend but also effectively apply this knowledge in their clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the impact of utilizing cartoons as a supplementary educational tool in pathology. Specifically, it focused on assessing whether incorporating cartoons into the learning process would enhance students' understanding, memory retention, and ability to recall complex topics, thereby augmenting the effectiveness of traditional teaching methodologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conducted from June to September 2022, this experimental study involved 106 second-year MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) students. Participants were split into two groups: the "traditional group," which received standard interactive large-group teaching, and the "combination group," which benefited from both the standard teaching and additional cartoon-based instruction. The study focused on two selected chapters of the pathology curriculum. After completing the first chapter, the groups were crossed over for the second chapter. Evaluation of the students' learning was conducted through post-learning assessments using multiple-choice questions (MCQs). RESULTS: The combination group, which received both traditional and cartoon-based teaching, showed a significant improvement in their assessment scores compared to the traditional group. This improvement was consistent in both assessments conducted (t(102) = 8.41, p < .001 and t(99) = 6.85, p < .001). Additionally, feedback from the students through a post-learning survey indicated a strong preference for the use of cartoons. The majority of students agreed that cartoons facilitated a better understanding and retention of complex pathology topics (χ² = 130.9, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The incorporation of cartoons as a supplementary learning tool in pathology teaching shows promising results. This innovative approach not only complements but also enhances the traditional teaching methods, leading to improved comprehension, retention, and recollection of complex subjects among medical students. The study highlights the potential of cartoons in revolutionizing medical education, especially in teaching challenging subjects like pathology.
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BACKGROUND: Skin adnexal tumours (SATs) are a large and diverse group of benign and malignant neoplasms. They are uncommon. They can be single or multiple, sporadic or familial and they might be markers for syndromes associated with internal malignancies. Benign adnexal tumours are more common and malignant SATs are rare and are locally aggressive and have the potential for nodal involvement and distant metastasis with a poor clinical outcome.Therefore recognition of SATs and establishing a diagnosis of malignancy in SATs is important for therapeutic and prognostic reasons. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: SATs are rare benign and malignant neoplasms. They are not commonly encountered in the routine surgical pathology practice.Hence this study aims at finding the frequency, clinical presentation and the histopathological appearances of SATS, and the differentiating features between benign and malignant tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is partly a retrospective and partly a prospective study done in a tertiary care hospital over a period of four years .All the SATs reported during this period are analysed for their clinical features, age, sex incidence and their gross and histopathological features. RESULTS: In the four years period 1,64,220 patients attended the hospital. The total number of SATS reported during this period were 21 cases (0.0128 %) Benign tumours were 19 (90.48%). Malignant tumours were 2(9.52%) The mean age for males 36.9 years and for females 35. Two years. There were 11 male patients and 10 female patients. Tumours of hair follicular differentiation were 7 (33.33%). Tumour like lesion of sebaceous origin was 1 (4.76%). Tumours of sweat gland origin were 11 (52.38%). Malignant tumours of eccrine origin were 2 (9.52%). CONCLUSION: SATs are not common. Their incidence in our study is only 0.0128 % of all cases. Eventhough benign SATs are more common than the malignant tumours, malignant SATs can occur both in young and elderly patients and they are aggressive and the SATs should be excised with wide tumour free margins.