Motivational Influences of Using Peer Evaluation in Problem-Based Learning in Medical Education

Abstract

This study investigates the ways in which medical students' achievement goal orientations (AGO) affect their perceptions of learning and actual learning from an online problem-based learning environment, Calibrated Peer Review tM . First, the tenability of a four-factor model (Elliot & McGregor, 2001) of AGO was tested with data collected from medical students (N = 137). Then, a structural regression model relating the factors of AGO to students' perceptions of grading fairness, judgments of learning, and scoring accuracy was tested. The results indicate that student engagement and success in diagnosing a patient's presentation using a peer feedback-rich web-based PBL environment is somewhat dependent on student motivation. Theoretical and practical implications, in terms of problem-based learning environments in medical education, are discussed.Keywords: medical education, achievement goal orientation, mastery goals, performance goals, judgments of learning, grading fairness, PBL, patient notes, structural equation modeling, Calibrated Peer Review IntroductionThe motivation for learning in problem-based learning (PBL) has been well researched at the level of the tutorial group where students are motivated to learn by interactive discussion of an interesting problem (Dolmans & Schmidt, 2006). This study looks at individual motivation to achieve in a PBL setting using an electronic learning platform. Calibrated Peer Review tM (CPR) is a web-based, writing-centered learning and peer-evaluation system that can be adapted for use in any discipline (Chapman & Fiore, 2001). The use of CPR in the current study engaged students in the learning processes characteristic of problem-based learning (PBL), including providing an authentic simulated experience modeling professional practice with high-fidelity, engagement in ill-defined problem solving, and reflection (Barrows, 1996). CPR is an example of how PBL can be used in an online context; additionally, since it provides an electronic record, it has the potential to provide insight into both the learning processes and achievement outcomes of PBL.In this study, CPR was used for medical students' note writing about patients during an Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE). Research suggests that the way that students approach PBL environments might be affected by motivational characteristics, such as achievement goal orientation (Crommelinck & Anseel, 2013;Scott, 2014; teunissen et al., 2009). The purpose of this investigation was to test whether achievement goal orientation is predictive of motivational and learning processes occurring during CPR cases, including perceptions of grade fairness, judgments of learning, and scoring accuracy. Problem-Based Learning and Calibrated Peer ReviewProblem-based learning (PBL) has been utilized in medical education for nearly a half-century, in order to provide a more student-centered learning environment compared to the traditional lecture-based curricula (Barrows, 1996); and although results are mixed, some research indicates th...

Guest Editors’ Introduction: Special Issue on Problem-based Learning in Health Professions Education/Toward Advancement of Problem-Based Learning Research and Practice in Health Professions Education: Motivating Learners, Facilitating Processes, and Supporting with Technology

“…Coming from another motivational perspective, Abercrombie, Parkes, and McCarty (2015), in this issue, examine how students' achievement goal orientations affect their perceived fairness of peer evaluation, perceived learning, and the accuracy of their assessment of self and peers' problem solutions. The researchers found that the more performanceoriented a student was, that is, the more the individual focused on demonstrating his or her performance in comparison with that of others, the more likely he or she would perceive peer assessment to be unfair, and the less accurate was this individual's actual assessment of self and peers' problem solutions.…”

Using a Teaching Intervention and Calibrated Peer Review™ Diagnostics to Improve Visual Communication Skills

“…26 It was designed to facilitate peer-graded writing assignments in large lecture courses and has been widely adopted by educators in a variety of disciplines including biology, chemistry, engineering, and medical education. 1 , 12 , 14 , 15 Faculty have used CPR to assess essay writing, 28 lab reports and design reports, 12 technical writing, 16 and course content. 17 We were early pioneers in the use of CPR to teach technical posters.…”