When is the problem-based approach productive?
Kuhn and colleagues (Capon & Kuhn, 2004; Pease & Kuhn, 2011; Wirkala & Kuhn, 2011) have focused their research conducted in applied K-12 and higher education on problem-based learning and are careful to indicate that what they describe as problem-based learning (PBL) can be differentiated from other methodologies that are often associated with the instructional methodology they studied (e.g., project-based learning). They stipulate that problem-based learning presents students with an ill-structured, authentic problem at a time when the students have yet to acquire the necessary knowledge to solve the problem. The students are expected to first attempt to solve the problem based on what they already know as a way to activate their existing knowledge. Students are later provided new information relevant to the problem but are expected to find the connections to the problem on their own. While these researchers are focused on the “problem” as the key element of their procedure, they do ask that learners finalize their learning experiences by authoring a product. Hence, it seems fair to state that one, but not the only way to engage learners in the generation of a product is to make the product the proposed solution to a problem.
Here are the steps in the problem-solving learning task as we interpret the Kuhn and colleagues approach:
1) Introduction of the problem. Learners are introduced to the problem. For example, in one of the problems Wirkala & Kuhn (2011) presented to sixth-grade students, a fictional administrator from NASA asked for an analysis of mistakes made in anticipating the catastrophic problems that were eventually encountered in the launch of the Challenger. Students received the letter of invitation and a handout asking that they identify the main problem, related questions they would have to work on being able to address in working toward a solution of the main problem, and what facts in the letter might represent clues they might investigate. You might already know that the group dynamics some blamed for not recognizing the danger to the craft and crew would be described by social scientists as a classic example of “group think”.
2) Attempt to solve problem based on existing knowledge. Students are immediately asked to respond to the problem. The idea is that this effort will require them to activate their existing knowledge.
3) Students are then presented carefully selected content relevant to the problem. Such content might be provided as documents to read or presentations to consider. The specific connections to the stated problem are not discussed, but students obviously understand the content is related. Students are expected to find the usefulness of this content for themselves. An important issue to note here is that these researchers do believe there is a role for direct and carefully focused instruction. This might be described as providing learners useful information when that information can be applied, but not applying that information for the learner.
4) Students then complete the task using the initial scaffolded procedure and an additional document summarizing key concepts from the presentation.
Here are some additional comments related to the research and how research can be completed to meet the expectations of good science. To evaluate effectiveness, the researchers relied on data from a delayed test of both basic concept understanding and the ability to apply these concepts to a novel problem. By delay, we mean months. Clearly, the usefulness of learning over time is what educators intend, but for the researcher the delay may also offer a way to reveal cognitive advantages in learning experiences not evident immediately. After this delay, learners in the PBL groups showed significant advantages in retention and transfer. These researchers have studied the technique just described as applied independently by individual students and by students in small groups. Many argue that the group approach is an essential part of problem-based learning, but the researchers found no specific benefit for students working in groups. This is not to say that group activities are detrimental, but rather that there was no significant benefit to a collaborative approach
The PBL tasks used by Kuhn and colleagues were concise in contrast to more ambitious and open ended programs. The tasks were designed to be completed in a few class periods. There may be some benefit in this focused approach.
One complaint often leveled against research conducted in applied settings involves the possibility that positive results are due to one group spending additional time. Time was carefully controlled by these researchers. So, you might wonder, how was the “traditional” group engaged while the problem-based group was spending time trying to figure out a solution to the problem they were given. The “methods” section described the experience of the control group in this way. These students experienced three activities. About half of the time, the instructor presented using PowerPoint slides and was the only one to speak. During about half of the remaining time, the instructor presented a variety of examples linked to the concepts in the presentation. The remaining time was spent in the instructor asking questions related to concepts and examples or responding to questions generated by the students. So, the content presented to the problem-solving group was more concise. There were fewer examples and also less discussion.
It is very likely that the details of implementation are important. Skills in scaffolding probably matter a lot. It is important to guide and not ignore students as they work. What one says to encourage students to think rather than offering too much information or a solution would be quite important. Perhaps describing is easier to do than guiding. Adults do engage students in the PBL group but mainly monitored student activities to keep them on task. When asked specific questions, the adults attempted to suggest things the learners might think about rather than offering solutions.
We admit that our simply description cannot capture the nuances of what it may take to design or implement a successful approach, but we wanted to indicate that research does exist supporting the credibility of those who advocate problem-based learning. A carefully scaffolded task and skilled facilitation can result in advantages to the learner. One final comment. The format of the problem-solving activity may seem vaguely familiar. To us, it is very similar to a well designed WebQuest. A well designed and interesting problem can be the focus of a WebQuest.