Abstract:

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered approach to learning that enables the students to work cooperatively in small groups to seek solutions to problems. It is necessary for nursing educators to understand students’ views on PBL. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe nursing students’ evaluation of problem-based learning. Method: The descriptive study was conducted. Twenty-eight nursing students in Macao and 23 nursing students in Mainland Shanghai were invited to participate in this study. All participants had completed one-semester PBL course. PBL evaluation Questionnaire was used. It was a 20-item self-report Likert scale with a 5-point response from “1 ineffective” to “5 very effective”. The higher score indicated that students considered higher degree of the effectiveness of PBL. The value of content validity index tested by five experts was 1. Measures of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) were 0.90 for the total scale, and 0.76, 0.71, 0.66, 0.81, 0.86 for the subscales of construction of professional knowledge (4items), development of problem-solving skills(4items), development of self-directed learning(4items), improvement of motivation(4items), and promotion of effective group collaboration(4items), respectively. The test-retest reliability with a two-week internal was 0.89. All participants also were asked to complete two open-ended questions for collecting students’ response to the advantages and disadvantages of PBL. Results: The response rate was 100%. The overall item mean was scored from 2.35 to 4.70 with a mean of 3.58(S.D.=0.52). The item mean scores of subscales were: construction of professional knowledge 3.35 (S.D.=0.74), development of problem-solving skills 3.69(S.D.=0.62), development of self-directed learning 3.48(S.D.=0.64), improvement of motivation 3.37(S.D.=0.73), and promotion of effective group collaboration 4.02(S.D.=0.66). The high mean scores occurred on the items of promoting open discussion (mean4.16, S.D.=0.78), stimulating group discussion (mean 4.08, S.D.=0.82), and sharing what they had learned with entire group (mean 4.02, S.D.=0.76), Macao students had lower item mean score (mean 3.35, S.D.=0.53) than Shanghai students (mean 3.86, S.D.=0.36, t=-3.95, P=0.000). Half of Macao students and 21.74% Shanghai students found the process time-consuming and stressful. They experienced a heavy workload, had insufficient time to complete the tasks. They complained about vague information received, less comprehensive grasp of knowledge and less confidence in clarifying the information. Conclusion: Students considered PBL was an effective learning method. To meet the needs for the fast-paced and complex nursing environments, nursing education should strive to facilitate the development of students’ advanced skills. It follows that PBL should be promoted more in nursing education. Students may have different views on the effectiveness of PBL, and this difference is related to their learning experience, how they understand PBL and how they approach their learning. When students have difficulty in understanding what PBL is about, they need to be provided with more substantial support. The negative aspects of PBL, such as the feelings of uncertainty, anxiety and stress, a heavy workload and lacked confidence should be concerned.
Acknowledgements
We wish to give impressive acknowledgement to the funding from Macao Polytechnic Institute (code RP/ESS-5/2008).

Keywords:

nursing students, problem-based learning, evaluation, effectiveness.