Effect of Interactive Multimedia on Basic Clinical Psychomotor Skill Performance by Physical Therapist Students

Physical therapist educators are challenged to provide quality instruction in psychomotor skills. Multimedia instruction may facilitate and enhance psychomotor skill acquisition and therefore is of significant interest to physical therapist educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the dif...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of physical therapy education 2006-10, Vol.20 (2), p.61-67
Main Authors: Smith, Russell A, Jones, Joyce, Cavanaugh, Catherine, Venn, John, Wilson, William
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic standards
Control Groups
Educational Strategies
Learning
Multimedia Instruction
Physical Education
Physical therapists
Physical therapy
Student Diversity
Studies
Teaching Methods
Thinking Skills
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Summary:Physical therapist educators are challenged to provide quality instruction in psychomotor skills. Multimedia instruction may facilitate and enhance psychomotor skill acquisition and therefore is of significant interest to physical therapist educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between physical therapist student cognitive and psychomotor performance on basic clinical skills when taught traditionally versus with interactive multimedia. Participants were recruited from 2 physical therapist programs. Twenty-four students volunteered to participate from Program 1 and 21 students volunteered from Program 2. Students were randomly assigned to an instructional strategy: (1) an experimental group receiving an instructional CD of clinical orthopedic techniques for the knee and practice with instructor feedback, or (2) a control group receiving live demonstration of clinical orthopedic techniques for the knee and practice with instructor feedback. Instructional strategies were then switched for instruction of clinical skills for the ankle/foot. Written examination scores improved with both instructional strategies, demonstrating no differences observed between the strategies. No differences in practical examination knee scores were observed between instructional strategy groups. Practical examination ankle scores were significantly higher in participants receiving CD instruction than in participants receiving live presentation. Age and sex were found to have no effect on written or practical scores. This study supports the use of multimedia instruction as an effective strategy to instruct clinical skills related to the knee and ankle. A better understanding of the role of multimedia instruction in teaching psychomotor skills will aid physical therapist educators in improving the performance of clinical skills by future clinicians.
ISSN:0899-1855
1938-3533
DOI:10.1097/00001416-200607000-00008