PBL's examination-score advantage holds across student majors, publication years, and class sizes, but heterogeneity remains high in all subgroups¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 Subgroup analyses by student major, publication year, and student number all favor PBL (e.g., medicine SMD = 1.33; pharmacy SMD = 1.54; nursing SMD = 15.91), with high I2 values persisting. → Yang X 2024

Evidence¶

Yang X 2024¶

Yang X, Yang Z, Ma S, Yan M, Yang Y. (2024). Evaluation of problem-based learning for pharmacology based on a comprehensive analysis in undergraduate students. Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000039376

q3 · i3 · quant-synthesis · r3

Subgroup analysis of examination scores across 3 variables (student major, publication year, student number) reported in Table 2, with printed standardized effect sizes per subgroup (e.g., "SMD = 1.33" for medicine). All subgroups favored PBL, but "High I2 values were still observed in the subgroup analyses, suggesting that heterogeneity remained".

"Through subgroup analysis, we also found that the PBL teaching method was beneficial for students from different majors, including medicine (SMD = 1.33, 95% CI [0.85, 1.81], P < .00001), pharmacy (SMD = 1.54, 95% CI [0.88, 2.19], P < .00001), and nursing (SMD = 15.91, 95% CI [9.77, 22.05], P < .00001)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Pooled PBL-CBL versus LBL estimates for theoretical and practical scores show high heterogeneity and publication bias but remain robust in sensitivity and trim-and-fill analyses — related
• The CBL exam-score advantage is robust to subgroup and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses but shows potential publication bias — related
• PBL produces higher examination scores than LBL in undergraduate pharmacology education (SMD = 2.03) — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• After removing five outlying studies identified by Galbraith plot, the PBL advantage persisted with low heterogeneity (Hedges' g = 0.592, I2 = 26.807%) — related
• In the clinical medicine subgroup, PBL students' total examination scores were significantly higher than controls (Hedges' g = 2.086) — related
• In the five-year school system subgroup, PBL students' total examination scores were significantly higher than controls (Hedges' g = 1.571) — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Same-teacher subgroups show no heterogeneity while different-teacher subgroups are highly heterogeneous (I2 = 96.4%) — related
• Removing 5 heterogeneous studies leaves the PBL advantage intact (SMD 0.79) with reduced heterogeneity, and the Liu et al study most affects stability — related