This study aimed to identify salient problem characteristics perceived by students in problem-based curricula. To this end, reflective essays from biomedical students (N = 34) on characteristics of good problems were text-analyzed. Students identified eleven characteristics, of which they found the extent to which the problem leads to desired learning outcomes as the most important characteristic. The extent to which the problem stimulates elaboration and the extent to which the problem promotes team effort were considered to be the least important problem characteristics. We clustered the eleven characteristics into two categories, "features" or "functions, " based on the perceived roles of the characteristics. Identification and clustering of the eleven characteristics provide a useful basis for future problem design and evaluation.Problems are considered to be one of the three key elements of problem-based learning (PBL); the other elements are students and tutors (Majoor, Schmidt, Snellen-Balendong, Moust, & Stalenhoef-Halling, 1990). Problems in PBL refer to the instructional materials presented to students to trigger their learning processes. Problems are often presented in text format, sometimes with pictures and computer simulations. They typically describe situations or phenomena set in real-life contexts, which require students to explain or resolve the presenting issues (Hmelo-Silver, 2004). The current study aimed to understand which characteristics of problems are perceived by students to be associated with good problems. While it is possible that students and problem designers may value different aspects of problems, understanding the students' perceptions will allow us to gain an insight into what motivates or helps the students to learn so that we can incorporate these characteristics in future problems to determine if students' perceptions of good problems are useful in designing problems.http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1135 Characteristics of Problems for Problem-Based Learning 7• volume 5, no. 1 (Spring 2011)In PBL, students follow the seven-step model to explain or resolve a problem (Schmidt, 1983). In this approach, students first discuss and analyze the problem in groups. This leads to the generation of several issues or topics that require exploration. Students then use these unresolved issues or topics as guidelines for their self-directed learning activities. During the period of self-directed learning, students find more information to answer or solve the problem. Following that, they reconvene, present to one another, and compile the information gathered. This results in integration of their new knowledge in the context of the problem (Hmelo-Silver, 2004).As problems initiate students' learning processes, the quality of problems can be postulated to be crucial for students' learning. To investigate this and examine the relationships among the various elements of PBL, Gijselaers and Schmidt (1990) asked students in a PBL curriculum to rate 1) the quality of problems, 2) the ...

This study aimed to identify the attributes that students and tutors associated with effective PBL problems, and assess the extent to which these attributes related to the actual effectiveness of problems. To this end, students and tutors in focus groups were asked to discuss about possible attributes of effective problems. The same participants were then asked to individually and independently judge eight sample problems they had worked with. Text analysis of the focus group discussion transcripts identified eleven problem attributes. Participants' judgments of the sample problems were then frequencyscored on the eleven problem attributes. Relating the participants' judgments with the entire student cohort's grades yielded high and significant correlations, suggesting that the eleven problem attributes reflect aspects of problem effectiveness.

This study investigated the influence of five problem characteristics on students’ achievement-related classroom behaviors and academic achievement. Data from 5,949 polytechnic students in PBL curricula across 170 courses were analyzed by means of path analysis. The five problem characteristics were: (1) problem clarity, (2) problem familiarity, (3) the extent to which the problem stimulated group discussion, (4) self-study, and (5) identification of learning goals. The results showed that problem clarity led to more group discussion, identification of learning goals, and self-study than problem familiarity. On the other hand, problem familiarity had a stronger and direct impact on academic achievement.

No abstract

No abstract