A comparison of students' satisfaction, performance, and preferences regarding PowerPoint and PechaKucha presentations: A quasi-experimental study

Background: A deep understanding of pathophysiology is required to provide high-quality nursing care; however, many undergraduate nursing students have difficulty understanding concepts in this field. New pedagogical approaches are required to engage undergraduate nursing students in better methods to understanding pathophysiological concepts. Therefore, we incorporated oral presentation assignments into a bioscience course in which students were instructed to create PechaKucha and PowerPoint presentations to promote learning of diseases. Objectives: To assess and compare the satisfaction, academic performance, and preference of nursing students regarding the use of PechaKucha and PowerPoint in a pathophysiology course. Design: A quasi-experimental design was used. The setting was a College of Nursing at a public university in Oman. Participants: A total of 109 second-year undergraduate nursing students in a convenience sample participated in this study. Methods: As part of a graded individual assignment, students had to create two presentations about sickle cell disease and thalassemia, with one using PechaKucha and the other PowerPoint presentation formats. Students' satisfaction level with both methods was assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale, and their academic performance was evaluated using post-quizzes. A self-reported questionnaire was utilized to investigate students' preference for PowerPoint versus PechaKucha. Results: The satisfaction level of the students was higher for PowerPoint than for PechaKucha (t(108) = 2.076, p = 0.040). However, students' performance was similar regardless of whether they had used PowerPoint or PechaKucha to prepare their presentations (t(108) = −0.323, p = 0.748). Finally, students who preferred PechaKucha indicated that it helps them to organize content and present concise information, while those who preferred PowerPoint expressed that it helps them apply their creativity. Conclusions: The PechaKucha presentation format might be engaging and pleasurable for the audience. However, nursing students were more satisfied with the traditional PowerPoint format when preparing their presentations. Therefore, nursing educators should be cautious when using PechaKucha for students' assignments.