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Despite the popularity of peer-assisted learning (PAL), existing literature has not shown enough evidence that can validate its impact on students' active learning. This meta-analysis aims to quantitatively analyse the effectiveness of PAL in medical education. We searched selected databases using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms ‘peer-assisted’, ‘learning’, ‘active learning’, ‘teaching strategy’, ‘peer mentoring’, and ‘peer instructions’ for full-text English language studies with a pre-post design. Following a systematic protocol, we selected 11 articles for final analysis. A meta-analysis was done using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 from Cochrane Training and the final output was presented by a forest plot. The results showed a significant effectiveness of PAL; notably, there was a standardised mean difference of 1.26 with a confidence interval of 0.58–1.94. The Cochran's Q test showed a 5% level of significance as measured by Chi2 = 449.46. Besides, the results of the I2 test were significant (98%); moreover, a z value of 3.65 validated the effectiveness of PAL. This research has shown that PAL can be used as a valuable learning tool in the medical field. Educational interventions in curricula for incorporating PAL strategies can potentially enhance the learning experience of the medical students.
Guraya et al. (Sat,) studied this question.