Problem-Based Learning

Problem-based learning (PBL) is perhaps the most innovative instructional method conceived in the history of education. PBL was originally designed to respond to the criticism that traditional teaching and learning methods fail to prepare medical students for solving problems in clinical settings. Instead of requiring that students study content knowledge and then practice context-free problems, PBL embeds students’ learning processes in real-life problems. After its successful implementation in various fields of medical education, PBL is now being implemented throughout higher education as well as in K–12 education. The purpose of this chapter is to inform researchers and practitioners about research findings and issues in PBL that may be used to inform future studies. In this chapter, we review PBL research from the past 30 years. We first describe the history of development and implementation of PBL in various educational settings and define the major characteristics of PBL. We then review the research on PBL. First, we examine the effectiveness of PBL in terms of student learning outcomes, including basic domain knowledge acquisition and applications, retention of content and problem-solving skills, higher order thinking, self-directed learning/lifelong learning, and self-perception. Second, we look at implementation issues, such as tutoring issues, curriculum design issues, and use of technology. Finally, we provide recommendations for future research.