Small Groups, Big Impact? Preclinical Medical Students’ Views on Student-Centered Learning in Small Group Settings

Student-centered learning is one of the key components of medical education. In student-centered learning, students are not passive recipients of information as they are expected to engage in critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration required in their future professional practice and lifelong learning. This study aims to explore preclinical medical students’ views on student-centered learning activities within small group settings. The study was conducted with 278 preclinical students at a state university in Türkiye. Data were collected using a structured online questionnaire form and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The results revealed that students’ views of student-centered learning activities did not differ by year of study or grade point average. Male students had higher scores in terms of clinical and communication skills labs than female students, whereas no gender differences were observed for other activities. Students who preferred studying in groups consistently reported higher response scores across all activities compared to those who preferred individual study. This study highlighted valuable perspectives about the importance of integrating diverse student-centered learning activities in the preclinical curriculum. We believe this study offers evidence-based insights and recommendations to medical schools for the improvement of student-centered curriculum.