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Evidence for constructive, self-regulatory, and collaborative processes in problem-based learning

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Abstract

The goal of this study was to increase our understanding of the learning-oriented verbal interactions taking place between students during the problem-based learning (PBL) cycle. The verbal interactions of one PBL group of five students throughout an entire PBL cycle were recorded in this data-intensive case study. The verbatim transcript consisting of more than 1,000 utterances was analyzed to investigate whether and how PBL stimulates students towards constructive, self-directed and collaborative learning. Our results demonstrate the occurrence of all above-mentioned learning activities, with 53.3% of episodes being collaborative, 27.2% self-directed and 15.7% constructive.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Republic Polytechnic, 9 Woodlands Ave 9, Singapore, Singapore, 738964

    Elaine H. J. Yew

  2. Erasmus University, Erasmus, The Netherlands

    Henk G. Schmidt

Authors
  1. Elaine H. J. Yew
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  2. Henk G. Schmidt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elaine H. J. Yew.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Basic Science problem that students worked on for the day

Code of Life

   
Full size table

The idea of the gene came first. The gene is the thing that carries information about the living organism. The gene tells if one’s hair is black and eyes are blue. The gene tells if one can curl one’s tongue. The gene carries the ‘family face’ that goes ‘through time to times anon’ from mother to daughter, father to son, or the other ways across, over time.

Is the gene a substance you can find in your body, or a kind of a soul-like invisible thing?

Explore the concept of a gene and the role it plays in an organism. Is it possible that the gene is represented by an identifiable molecule, one that is able to carry information akin to a line of code, giving it the ability to execute highly detailed tasks? Determine the qualities such a molecule should have.

Appendix 2

Unedited version of Example 7:

  • F: You know right for the Mendel’s first law right- I see something about chi squre test, I mean the chi square test

  • A: Huh, how come got chi squre?

  • F: I don’t know

  • C: Today got equation meh?

  • L: Let’s not do that lah (Nb: ‘lah’ is a word often used at the end of sentences in ‘Singaporean English’ for emphasis)

  • S: Can we not do?

  • C: Can we not do any calculations?

  • A: Yeah or else we have to...

  • A few minutes later:

  • F: I know why they got the chi-square thing already

  • A: Why?

  • F: To see which one is green which one is yellow... the chance of yellow...that sort of thing lor (Nb: ‘lor’ is a word often used at the end of sentences in ‘Singaporean English’ for emphasis and often carries a sense of resignation)

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Yew, E.H.J., Schmidt, H.G. Evidence for constructive, self-regulatory, and collaborative processes in problem-based learning. Adv in Health Sci Educ 14, 251–273 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-008-9105-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-008-9105-7

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