Comparison of Class Room Lectures with Fishbowl-Snowball Activity for Dental Undergraduate Students: An Observational Study

Abstract Background  Traditional classroom lectures have been the backbone of the education system for a long time although this method is most effective but it may not always permit active engagement with the matter and learn it. In contrast, active teaching formats such as fishbowl and snowball techniques allow students to participate in the task of attaining knowledge by shifting the target from preceptor to student, thereby allowing a better understanding of the concepts. Methodology  A total of 80 final-year undergraduate dental students were included in this study. Each student was informed regarding study design and protocol. A lecture on the principles of Pediatric Endodontics was delivered to the students in small groups using the routine virtual method, following which a pre-test activity questionnaire and formal thinking questionnaire were given to the students for scoring. Following this, the class of 80 was divided into smaller groups of four each and the Fishbowl–snowball activity was performed. A post-test activity questionnaire and formal thinking questionnaire were given once again to the students for scoring. The mean pre and post-test scores were statistically analyzed using paired t -test by statistical software SPSS version 20. A p -value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results  The overall mean difference between pre and post-test activity and formal thinking scores was seen to be statistically significant ( p  < 0.001). Conclusion  It was seen that a combination of fishbowl and snowball method of teaching led to more satisfactory results as compared with the routine classroom teaching method.