ArticleBMC medical education2026
Using interactive learning activities to predict learning outcomes in medical education: a mixed-methods study.
Article in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundActive learning methods are increasingly used in medical education to enhance engagement and retention; however, limited evidence links performance on embedded formative assessments to summative examination outcomes in large-group pre-clinical settings. Interactive Learning Activities (ILAs) incorporating low-stakes quizzes were implemented in a first-year Cardiopulmonary-Renal (CPR) systems course. This study aimed to determine whether ILA quiz performance was associated with summative examination outcomes and to explore student perceptions across academic performance tiers.
methodsA sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was conducted across two academic years (2022: n = 156; 2023: n = 160). ILAs included pre- and post-session quizzes, contributing 5% to the final course grade. Linear regression and correlation analyses examined associations between mean ILA quiz scores and summative examination performance. Students were stratified into tertiles of final course grade for survey comparisons. An anonymous post-course survey collected Likert-scale and open-ended responses. Quantitative survey data were analyzed using chi-square tests, and qualitative responses were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis framework.
resultsThe ILA quiz scores demonstrated consistent moderate-to-strong positive correlations with overall examination performance in both cohorts (2022: R = 0.641; 2023: R = 0.672). Combined analysis confirmed a stable association (R = 0.632). Association was evident early in the semester, by the 6th ILA. Survey responses (25.6% response rate) indicated generally positive perceptions of ILAs. Lower-performing students reported comparatively high perceived learning benefits, whereas middle-tier students more frequently expressed concerns about quiz-related stress and workload (p < 0.05 for selected items). Qualitative themes highlighted engagement, retrieval practice, and timely feedback as strengths, with graded timing and stress as primary concerns.
conclusionPerformance on low-stakes ILA quizzes was consistently associated with summative examination outcomes in a large-group pre-clinical course. Embedded formative assessments may serve both instructional and early indicator functions, supporting early identification of students who may benefit from additional academic support.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.