Based on the results of this study, several suggestions for future researches were presented:
1) The participants in this study were selected from the sophomore students in a university of applied sciences. For the future study, the potential participants should be expanded to the sampling who have started clinical training in the clinical departments, which is more possible to identify the effects of PBL for the students’ adaption to clinical atmosphere.
The place for collecting data should be also expanded from one university of applied sciences to several ones in Finland.
2) The step of question synthesis in the process of PBL displayed various experiences from the students. The future research is needed to learn what the disadvantages in the question synthesis and its long-term positive effects are.
3) Combined with the results of this study, the students experienced that the PBL has effects on the increase of learning motivation. More research is needed to learn what the factors affecting the nursing students’ learning motivation in the PBL as learning method.
4) This study indicates the shortage of tutors’ evaluation for students in the group presentations. Further studies should be designed to identify the factors and elements related to students’ expected supports from tutors in the group presentations.
5) Based on the students’ perception of tutors’ roles, future research should also examine more in-depth analysis on the tutors’ own evaluation and perspectives related to their roles in the PBL.
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Table 1. Table of literature searching and selection
Data base Key words Limitation Searching
result
Scopus
books, thesis, guidelines -2003-2016 -English
5
Inclusion criteria for academic articles search
The language used in the articles was English.
The years of articles were limited from 2003 to 2016.
The research questions and purpose of the selected articles were connected to PBL in nursing education.
Exclusion criteria for academic article selection
Only full article of researches regarding nurses or nursing students
Only full article of researches regarding PBL in nursing education
Same articles from different databases were excluded
Table 2. Table of literature review Author(s), source and
country
Purpose of study Data/Sample Method Main results
AI-Kloub M.I., 3rd year students enrolled in pediatric clinical nursing course (N=226, 57%)
Mixed-method approach
-The participants indicated the most acceptable four PBL items.
-The negative aspects of PBL contained time-consuming, unclear objectives, stressful process, increased workload and large group size as well as poor interaction, boring tutorials and instructors’ less contributions as well as limited resources.
Alkasawneh I.M. et
-Most students could learn effectively when experiencing different learning activities -Requiring special attention from the instructor -The PBL enhanced cooperation and generate high levels of motivation.
- A single experience of PBL to be enjoyable.
-The students also valued the chances to communicate the ideas with each other
-Assist the students in the retention of knowledge Applin H et al., 2011,
- The process of PBL provided the opportunities for promoting critical thinking skills, self-directed learning and team work
-Strengthening competencies of entry-to-practice
Chan Z.C.Y., 2013,
- Skills of critical thinking and problem-solving could be enhanced
-Different learning activities in the PBL have been possible to arouse the students’ awareness among the critical thinking, creativity and nursing care, eg.
composing songs, writing poems and role plays.
Chan Z.C.Y., 2014,
Qualitative -The students enjoyed the nursing PBL class related to writing poems, composing songs and using role plays.
-The motivation to learn and empathy to patient had been enhanced.
- Students had shown their sensitivity and ability of re-construction knowledge by critical thinking and creativity.
-The study discovered that PBL motivated learning and encouraged teamwork.
-Participation into PBL helped the students to hold the perspectives of developing knowledge especially in the ever-changing practice of health care.
Cooper C & Carver N.
-Success of PBL had been influenced by the
interpersonal level in the groups, and it would remove the interpersonal conflicts when teaching team assessing the individual contribution of group members.
- Small groups had function in offering mutual support and sharing knowledge.
-Resolving the conflicts in the process of PBL successfully.
- Coping with the ‘lack’ of direction in the first time as the beneficial part of learning experience.
-The motivation for producing higher quality of work might be increased by assessing individual
contributions.
- Deeper learning compared within the lectured course.
- Several skills had been enhanced including group work, presenting and teaching, time management
&task prioritization.
Facilitator
-Facilitator’s enthusiasm for the subject could increase the motivation for the effective function.
-Active and inspirational facilitators were preferred Weak
- The anxieties and concerns about the absence of teaching-led sessions.
- Hard in the starting of PBL without previous knowledge or direction.
-The quality of confidence had been increased Eccott L, Greig A, Hall
-The satisfaction with the greater confidence in collaboration.
- Cultivate open communication and mutual trust with group members.
-Working collaboratively as the goal for the students had been achieved.
-Interprofessional teamwork had been enhanced through the interprofessional PBL module.
Hwang SY & Kim M.J.
2006.
USA
To compare the effects of the problem-based learning
- PBL groups received more knowledge and higher learning motivation compared with the students in traditional group.
-Knowledge in PBL less have been less organized -Difficulties judging the tutor by the traditional criteria for the teacher
-Increased abilities for solving problems and critical thinking
-Being satisfied with creativity in learning and group work
-To prepare appropriate learning environments to incorporate this approach within curricula.
-Less experienced students paid attention on sameness and fairness.
-More experienced students and faculty have been tolerated for ambiguity and focused more on learning experience to meet learning needs.
-Clear communication and faculty development were suggested as positive strategies for developing consistency.
-The group using PBL method had the higher average scoring than the other group in the nursing ethical discrimination ability.
- Students educated by PBL had more satisfaction in the parts of self-motivated learning and critical thinking.
method )
-The critical thinking skills could be affected by classroom learning environment, characterized by personal relevance, uncertainty and critical voice.
-Students with high critical thinking skills scores had been facilitated by PBL tutors to inquire the synthesis and evaluation of ideas.
-The application of PBL could facilitate the development of critical thinking and the use of evidence in practice
-Tutor’s eye contact promoting self-esteem and positive group dynamics.
-Good inter-personal attributes and group facilitation skills were expected by the students.
asking question
- Questions requiring analyses or connecting to previous scenario would help students to focus on learning process instead of outcomes,
-The students felt pleased on the questions related to the previous knowledge & nursing experience.
- The 1st year students had uncomfortable learning experience due to tutors’ specialized questions with new terms.
expertise
-The tutors should give balance on each nursing field.
-The behaviors of tutors influenced learning motivation and success.
giving information
- Students worried about receiving incorrect
information, and tutors should provide the relevant information when the problem could not be resolved by students.
group dynamic
- Tutors played the important role in developing group atmosphere.
-The tutors were expected to encourage the silent students to participate discussion actively
-Tutor’s clinical experience would be helpful
-The appropriate period of warm-up would promote them to be active to start the sessions.
giving feedback and evaluation
- To make a more objective evaluation method and give more clear feedback
- Feeling anxious when the tutors could not effectively give evaluation and feedback.
-Suffering uneasy when the tutors pointed out their insufficiencies in public
-Positive feedback had been required
-The evaluation should be assessed according to the content instead of the amount of talking.
Poskiparta M,
Qualitative - PBL method was especially for the adult students who could take the responsibility of their own learning.
- Needing more time to accept the outcome of PBL used in the health promotion issues.
- Limited group size
- Connecting the individuals to work together and resolve the problems in a more flexible manner - Needs for more guidance due to less confidence on the personal abilities.
-The students had the disappointed feeling on the lack of supports in the discussion part.
Rowan et al., 2009, UK To explore the long-term effect of a problem-based
Qualitative - Effects in assisting them to searching information and developing the ability of questioning critically.
- More direction and feedback might help them to conque the anxious at the beginning of the programme.
-Students’ feeling on the success of PBL relied on the way for group working.
Rowan et al., 2008, UK
To ascertain the views of student midwives at the beginning and at the end of their programme and three
Qualitative -Students reflected their anxious at the beginning of PBL
- Still unprepared for the practice even if after owing the skills of retrieving and criticizing the information.
-The presentation had not be regarded as a discussion under the spirit of exploring, which was more likely a performance.
Smith L & Coleman V., 2008, UK
To explore experience of PBL of a group of RN undertaking a 1 year children’s nursing
-The need to provide more initial preparation for transition to PBL and more attention on the students’
responds and concerns about the PBL process.
Tiwari A et al., 2006, Hongkong, China
To evaluate the effect of PBL on students’ approaches to
-The opportunity for learning about real patient problems in a more interesting and meaning manner.
- Assessing the problem for optimal care in the PBL -Self-direction had been confirmed by the students - Experiencing the advanced skills of validating usefulness of information
-Much personal time searching for lots of information -The dialogues giving the chances for them to evaluate the broadness and depth of searching resources.
-PBL was active, interactive and student-centered,
enjoyable and stimulating, excitement for gaining knowledge and increased confidence in resolving problems
- Conducting their own learning through group discussion including exploring problems, questioning assumptions, formulating hypotheses, identifying learning issues, applying solutions and evaluating effectiveness.
-Facilitators should enhance the skills by further training.
-The different tutorials were the factors causing stress Williams B., 2004, USA To examine the self directed
learning readiness of
baccalaureate students at the beginning and at the end of one year in a PBL nursing
-The participants expanded the range of searching information from the textbook to books and journals.
-Asking questions and sharing experiences had been identified as facilitating students’ learning.
- Increasing the ability for summarizing and sharing searched information confidently.
-The students learned how to work collaboratively and deal with value diversity and ambiguity.
-Self and peer evaluation as important goal of university education had been thought as helpful to produce deeper awareness of themselves
-The implementation of PBL enhanced students’
confident feeling by developing the skills and competences qualified in the clinical practice.
Facilitator
- Facilitative behaviors of tutors consisted of coaching, modeling and sharing own experiences.
Weak & Challenge
-It was vague for the students to evaluate what they
learned only by examination marks.
- Being uncertain and overwhelmed in the replacement of PBL from traditional curriculum.
Yuan HB, Kunaviktikul
- PBL encouraged to share and synthesize amounts of information for the group
-Students were offered the chances for comparing different results of the problem
- Time-wasting and stressful feeling Yuan HB, Williams BA,
Quantitative -Half of Macao students and 21.74% of the shanghai students indicated that PBL was time-consuming and stressful process.
-Small amount of students admitted that the reviewed information could be vague, which resulted in lack of students’ confidence.
-Substantial support could be received from tutors.
Yang JH & Yang B.,
- Students’ anxiety was relieved by the facilitators’
encouragement, such as, nodding or smiling
- The students preferred the facilitator’s comments on the group presentation as the reference for
progressing the next presentation.
-The students had the good feeling to the facilitators differentiating the students with more active
contribution to the group discussion.
-The facilitators as resource of encouragement for creating a collaborative learning atmosphere.
-Rigid critical evaluation easily leads to neglect students’ hard effort in PBL and building trust among the students.
Questionnaire
Questionnaire related to Problem-Based Learning
This study is pertaining to the master thesis, the purpose of which is to identify the international students’ experiences and perspectives on the process of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and tutors’ roles in PBL.
In this questionnaire, there will be 8 questions related to your personal background, 5 questions related to your experiences and perceptions to the PBL (3 ones about PBL PROCESS and 2 ones about ROLES OF TUTORS) and the last question is given to you for receive any suggestion concerned to PBL. It takes about 50 minutes to answer this questionnaire.
You can ask questions from the researcher about any doubt concerned to this questionnaire.
Firstly, you will be inquired to your background information. Please answer the following questions with simple words, numbers or “√”. Thank you!
1. Age____
2. Gender: Female____ Male____
3. Future Occupation ___________
3. Future Occupation ___________