Prospects of the Peerto- Peer Method in Higher Medical Education

Abstract

Modern society has new requirements for education, excluding the training of young people who can make critical decisions, find a way to communicate in a new environment, and effectively establish new relationships in a dynamic world. Personality characteristics, including independence, creativity, activity, the ability to adapt to rapid changes, become the most important at the present stage, wherein the formation of such features requires new approaches to the learning process. The implementation of interactive teaching methods contributes to the creation of additional opportunities for the renewal of content and teaching methods, as well as the expansion of knowledge. The Peer-to-Peer principle is one of the newest methods of interactive education. This approach is based on specific interaction and special transfer of information, and is a technology of sociological and pedagogical influence, a method of forming a personality who can make decisions independently, be responsible for himself/herself, own life and behavior. The peer-to-peer method, or Peer-to-Peer learning, is defined as a process that involves people of approximately the same age who have the same social status or similar abilities. That is, students take on the role of teachers for their peers. This technique encourages students to actively participate in the learning process, develops critical thinking, promotes effective interaction, develops intrinsic motivation to study the discipline, and, as a result, improves learning outcomes. It has also been established that the Peer-to-Peer method provides the peer teacher with greater self-efficacy in developing clinical and teaching skills, allowing them to become a role model with the motivation to benefit others and improve as a future doctor. In the article, the authors analyzed the main forms of Peer-to-Peer method abroad and in Ukraine, and also identified the prospects for the implementation of this method in the educational process of higher medical school. The use of the Peer-to-Peer method in higher medical education institutions has shown feasibility and effectiveness. This method has a positive impact on students’ academic performance, confidence and satisfaction with the learning process, and has the potential to transform traditional teaching approaches with a consequent improvement in the quality of medical education. Therefore, tertiary medical schools should consider incorporating this method into their educational strategies to improve student learning outcomes.