Effectiveness of the Jigsaw Technique as a Teaching–Learning Method in Teaching Surgery to Phase II MBBS Students in a Medical College in Nagaland: A Quasi-experimental Mixed Methodology Study

Background: Jigsaw technique, one type of cooperative learning, was proposed by Aronson et al . in the 1970s, wherein students work in small groups with a fixed set of learning objectives to reach a common goal. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness as well as the perception of the jigsaw technique as a teaching–learning method in teaching surgery to Phase II MBBS students. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental mixed methodology study was conducted on Phase II MBBS students attending surgery. Five contact sessions were held, of 1 h each, on different topics. Assessment was done by a pre- and posttest consisting of prevalidated multiple-choice questions. Feedbacks were taken at the end of the fifth contact session by a prevalidated questionnaire. Results: All five sessions of the jigsaw technique showed statistically significant improvements in posttest scores ( P < 0.001). The responses for “strongly agree” and “agree” were consistently the highest across all 10 feedback items. Students found the jigsaw technique helpful for understanding, retention, summarization, and engagement. Conclusion: The jigsaw technique is effective and helps in understanding, retention, and summarization of topics in surgery. It can be introduced in Phase II as a reinforcement tool in teaching–learning surgery.