Exploring the Relationships Between Tutor Background, Tutor Training, and Student Learning: A Problem-based Learning Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Despite years of primary research on problem-based learning and literature reviews, no systematic effort has been made to analyze the relationship between tutor characteristics and student learning outcomes. In an effort to fill that gap the following meta-analysis coded 223 outcomes from 94 studies with small but positive gains for PBL students (g = 0.24). Specific sub-group analyses indicate randomly controlled designs may be more sensitive to differences that favor PBL students, even while there is no relationship between tutor content expertise and student learning. Perhaps surprisingly, student learning decreases as tutor experience increases. Limitations and future work are discussed within a context of scholarly and practical significance.

The effect of problem-based learning on nursing students' decision making skills and styles

“…[14] PBL helps students define their needs to learn, develop a list of main points about the problem, determine what they already understand, what they need to investigate, and then acquire and apply the missing knowledge. [15,16] In addition to the fact that PBL is collaborative, communicative and cooperative, it also allows students to work in small groups (6 to 8 or 5 to 7 students) with a high level of interaction, peer teaching and group presentations depending on themselves. [17] The environment in PBL develops self-control in students and enables them to see multidimensional events with a deeper perspective.…”

Design and Facilitation of Problem-Based Learning in Graduate Teacher Education: An MA TESOL Case

“…However, sustained training that includes experience with PBL cycles is recommended (Salinitri et al, 2015). Furthermore, the use of graduate students as facilitators, and not necessarily instructors with PhD level of expertise, has proven to be productive in terms of student outcomes from PBL cycles in other disciplines (Leary et al, 2013). So, the team teaching approach used within the TWU MA TESOL program is similar to approaches in other PBL settings.…”

“…However, it is unlikely that this approach will be sufficient for the staffing needs of the program in the future (Field Notes, Fall 2014). Best practices for facilitator training in PBL have not been fully established (Leary, Walker, Shelton, & Fitt, 2013), nor would specific practices established in one discipline or local context necessarily be workable in others. However, sustained training that includes experience with PBL cycles is recommended (Salinitri et al, 2015).…”

The electrocardiogram made (really) easy: Using small-group tutorials to teach electrocardiogram interpretation to final-year medical students

“…[14] This was possibly supported by the training that the tutor received, combining the process of learning and mastery of content with the tutorials being facilitated by a subject expert who is also a clinical medical teacher. [8] Although the majority of this small number of students had positive perceptions about the tutorials, a small number (4%) had negative perceptions. The latter finding must be investigated; more especially the discovery that students have to pay outsiders to teach them.…”

“…However, the main focus in tutoring is to combine the process of learning and mastery of content; [8] hence the importance of training tutors. At UFS, all the tutors undergo compulsory training, during which they are equipped with skills to apply active learning strategies.…”