THE PROBLEM OF PROBLEM IN PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BASICS

Abstract

Problem-based learning (PBL) is one of the commonly used learning methods in the European Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). The aim of the study is to review the basics of PBL method by focusing on the most fundamental aspect of it – ‘the problem’. This study proposes that the term ‘problem’ in PBL should not be conceived as a ‘problem’ in its lexical meaning, that is an unwelcome or harmful situation demanding a solution. Rather, the term ‘problem’ in PBL should be understood and addressed as an ‘irregularity’ that may produce negative or positive outcome. This study supports the proposition that PBL is indeed problem focused and that learning is stimulated by the problem, nonetheless this study proposes that in PBL methods, the learning is not necessarily dependent on finding solutions, rather that learning about the ‘irregularity’ in question. What we know and do not know about the ‘irregularity’. This study follows a quantitative research design and is supported by empirical evidence consisting of a sample of 40 students from a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree program in a Finnish HEI. This study explores the PBL method in terms of students’ engagement in the tutorials and sheds light on the effectiveness of this method to achieve desired results. The analysis of the results shows that almost all the respondents considered to be familiar with the steps of PBL tutorial session. Majority of the students assessed that they have received sufficient information about PBL method. However, about a quarter of the students were unsure or did not consider the information to be sufficient. During the PBL tutorials, over half of the respondents took a specific role as a discussion leader, a recorder or an observer. Videos and news articles were used as triggers during the opening sessions by most of the respondents. Presentations and pictures were used the least. Majority considered the triggers to be an unstructured representation of the real world. Even though many respondents considered the triggers to be easy to understand. Noticeably, only a few considered it very easy to identify the main problem and few to formulate the learning objectives. This study shows that those respondents, who found it easy to identify a main problem, considered themselves being able to formulate the learning objectives related to the main problem. Analysis shows that respondents selected ‘thinking’ and ‘group discussion’ as two main variables that are triggered by a PBL trigger. Interestingly, none of the respondents chose time management. This study contributes in providing insights related to PBL method in the European HEIs. Hence, this study is directly connected with the current body of knowledge related to student engagement and learning in the HEIs.