Medical Students’ Perceptions of Small Group Teaching versus Lecture-based Teaching in a Resource-limited Setting: A Pilot Study from India

Background: Medical education is evolving toward interactive teaching methods, and small group teaching (SGT) is increasingly being adopted. While lecture-based teaching using PowerPoint (LBTP) remains common, its effectiveness in fostering student engagement, retention, and critical thinking is being questioned. Objective: To compare students’ perceptions of SGT versus LBTP among Indian medical undergraduates. Methods: A cross-sectional, within-subject, comparative pilot study was conducted among 100 undergraduate medical students at Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College, Hazaribagh, India. The same topic was taught using two approaches: SGT (15–17 students per group, divided into six groups) and LBTP (a whole-class PowerPoint lecture). Feedback was collected via a semistructured questionnaire using Google Forms. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests ( P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant). Results: Of the 100 students, 98 completed the questionnaire. Most students (85%) rated SGT as more effective, particularly for understanding and engagement. Knowledge retention was higher with SGT (62.2%) compared to LBTP (11.2%). Strengths of SGT included better interaction, clarity, peer learning, and personalized feedback. Conclusion: SGT was perceived as more effective than LBTP. These findings support the integration of interactive, learner-centered methods in resource-limited medical education contexts, such as those found in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.