The Effect of Problem Based Learning on Critical Thinking Ability: A Theoretical and Empirical Review

Although, Problem Based Learning (PBL) has a strong theoretical supports from the literature, to date there has been many PBL research resulted with unexpected findings, leading to a conflict on the effect of PBL on students’ critical thinking ability. In this review, the authors investigated the theoretical relation, as well as reviewed the recent empirical evidence on the effect of PBL on students’ critical thinking ability. The review included the most recent experimental studies from multiple disciplines between the years 2000 to 2011. Within this, it is concluded that 1) the specific processes in PBL theoretically support students’ critical thinking development according to the design applied, 2) empirical evidences in general are inconclusive in explaining the effect of PBL on students’ critical thinking ability, particularly outside of medical field, 3) some evidences indicate that PBL requires long term exposure to foster students’ critical thinking ability, 4) several predictors might also influence the relationship of PBL and critical thinking such as age, gender, academic achievement, and educational background.