In an RCT, pharmacy students taught with PBL rated their own problem-solving and self-directed learning significantly higher on a questionnaire than LBL students did¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r1 · q3
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? On a self-report questionnaire, PBL students rated their problem-solving significantly higher (8.43±1.56) than LBL students (7.02±1.72), p = 0.002. → Chen Tu 2024 q3 i? On the same questionnaire, PBL students rated their self-directed learning significantly higher (7.39±1.19) than LBL students (6.41±1.28), p = 0.004. → Chen Tu 2024

Evidence¶

Chen Tu 2024¶

Chen Tu, Zhao Yi-Jing, Huang Feng-Qing, Liu Qun, Li Ying, Alolga Raphael N., Zhang Lei, Ma Gaoxiang. (2024). The effect of problem-based learning on improving problem-solving, self-directed learning, and critical thinking ability for the pharmacy students: A randomized controlled trial and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314017

q3 · i? · causal · r1

Randomized controlled trial: 57 third-year pharmacy students at China Pharmaceutical University randomly assigned to PBL (n = 28) or LBL (n = 29) for a 17-week course. The article reports "significantly higher mean problem-solving scores" and self-directed learning scores with the printed means and p-values; no effect size is printed.

These four outcomes (problem-solving, self-directed learning, communication skills and critical thinking) come from a standard questionnaire the students completed at the end of the 17-week course, so they are students' self-ratings, not observed or tested skills. The trial's only performance measure was a theoretical examination.

"the PBL group had significantly higher mean problem-solving scores (8.43 ± 1.56) compared to the LBL group (7.02 ± 1.72) (p = 0.002). The PBL group also had significantly higher self-directed learning scores (7.39 ± 1.19) compared to the LBL group (6.41 ± 1.28) (p = 0.004)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Problem Solving — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• In the RCT, PBL students rated their own communication skills and critical thinking significantly higher on a questionnaire than LBL students did — related
• In the RCT, PBL students obtained significantly better final exam grades than LBL students, but the meta-analysis found no significant final-exam difference — related
• PBL students reported significantly higher satisfaction and interest in the course than LBL students — related
• PBL significantly improves clinical skill scores compared with lecture-based learning in medical education — related