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How important are student-selected versus instructor-selected literature resources for students’ learning and motivation in problem-based learning?

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Abstract

In problem-based learning students are responsible for their own learning process, which becomes evident when they must act independently, for example, when selecting literature resources for individual study. It is a matter of debate whether it is better to have students select their own literature resources or to present them with a list of mandatory instructor-selected literature resources. The current study investigated the effect of using instructor-selected literature resources or student-selected literature resources (from a predetermined set of literature) on several learning outcome variables. The results demonstrated that students in the student-selected literature condition scored higher on autonomous motivation and perceived competence, and lower on perceptions of mental effort during studying. Students in the instructor-selected condition had better test performance on factual test items, whereas no difference was found for the conceptual questions. Overall, the results indicate that letting students select their own literature resources can be beneficial in terms of autonomous motivation, perceived competence, and perceptions of mental effort invested during learning and does not differentially affect conceptual knowledge.

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Notes

  1. Results of all analyses were the same with and without including these participants.

  2. Results before removal of outliers: Autonomous motivation, t(58) = 2.32, p = 0.02; Controlled motivation, t(58) = −0.24, p = 0.82.

  3. Results before removal of outliers: Hotelling’s T² = 0.01, F(2, 57) < 1.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the employees of the Erasmus Behavioral Lab for their support in developing the materials of this experiment. We would like to thank Marit Wijnen for her help with the data collection. We are also greatly indebted to Emily Fox for proofreading an earlier version of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Lisette Wijnia, Sofie M. M. Loyens & Henk G. Schmidt

  2. Department of Personnel Management, Work & Organizational Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Eva Derous

Authors
  1. Lisette Wijnia
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  2. Sofie M. M. Loyens
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  3. Eva Derous
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  4. Henk G. Schmidt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisette Wijnia.

Appendix 1: Overview of open-ended questions and coding scheme

Appendix 1: Overview of open-ended questions and coding scheme

  1. Question 1:

    Give two theoretical explanations that could account for the conflict between the Rattlers and the Eagles.

    2 Points for naming realistic conflict theory (1 point) and providing a correct description stating that intergroup conflict is the result of direct competition (0.5 point) of two groups over a scarce but desirable resource/prize (0.5 point).

    2 Points for naming social identity theory (1 point) and providing a correct description explaining that belonging to a group can lead to conflict (0.5 point) and that people favor in-groups over out-groups in order to enhance their self-esteem (0.5 point).

  2. Question 2:

    Describe two solutions to solve intergroup conflict.

    2 Points for naming superordinate goals (1 point) and providing a correct description: Goals that can only be achieved when the two groups work together (1 point).

    2 Points for naming (1 point) and correctly describing (1 point) a structural solution imposed by a powerful authority. Structural solutions could include: limiting the number of people accessing the resource (via permits), limiting the amount of resources that people can take (via quotas), handing over management of the resource to a leader, facilitating free communication among those accessing the resource, and shifting the pay-off to ensure cooperation is favored over competition.

  3. Question 3:

    The Robbers’ Cave experiment is based on realistic conflict theory. Do you believe the results of this experiment can be explained by this theory? Describe both weak and strong elements of this theory in your answer.

    2 Points when participants mentioned that elements of realistic conflict theory were in line with some of the observations in the experiment. Possible answers could include: (a) explaining that Sherif and colleagues ruled out other explanations; (b) explaining that in-group solidarity, in-group identification, and negative out-group attitudes increased during the competition, or (c) explaining that both the winning and losing teams developed negative/hostile attitudes towards the other group.

    2 Points when participants mentioned that not all observations in the experiment could be explained by the theory. Possible correct answers could include: (a) The experimenters observed some signs of negative attitudes towards the other group even before the competition took place: The boys asked for competitive games when they noticed there was another group at the summer camp. (b) Simply being assigned to a group could promote conflict. (c) A realistic competition for resources might not always be necessary. Sometimes a perception or imagination of a competition is sufficient. Therefore, a “real” competition may not be necessary for intergroup conflict to arise. (d) It is not always necessary that a resource be scarce; sometimes the perception or experience that one is deprived of something relative to others is sufficient. In other words, a sense of relative deprivation may also lead to conflict.

  4. Question 4:

    If you were to design an experiment to examine intergroup conflict, what would you do the same as in the Robbers’ cave experiment and what would you do differently?

    2 Points for mentioning what elements they would keep the same and why (e.g., controlling for other explanations, such as dominant personality, or certain phases of the experiment such as the group formation phase, because this is relevant from both a realistic conflict or social identity perspective).

    2 Points for mentioning what they would change and why (e.g., explaining that not all observations were explained by social identity theory and that the role of direct competition or the role of scarce resources could be examined). Other possible answers could include tests of generalization, role of gender, role of a consolation prize, role of the appointment of an objective leader.

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Wijnia, L., Loyens, S.M.M., Derous, E. et al. How important are student-selected versus instructor-selected literature resources for students’ learning and motivation in problem-based learning?. Instr Sci 43, 39–58 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-014-9325-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-014-9325-6

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