ERIC Number: EJ915419
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Mar
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-4277
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Comparison of Students' Reflective Thinking across Different Years in a Problem-Based Learning Environment
Yuen Lie Lim, Lisa-Angelique
Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning Sciences, v39 n2 p171-188 Mar 2011
Problem-based learning (PBL) is a constructivist approach to learning which is believed to promote reflective thinking in students. This study investigated how students in one particular institution developed in their reflective thinking habits--Habitual Action, Understanding, Reflection, and Critical Reflection--as they went through the daily practice of PBL. A 16-item questionnaire measuring the four levels of reflective thinking habits was administered to four cohorts of students: an incoming cohort, first-years, second-years, and third-years. First-year students rated themselves higher on Reflection and Critical Reflection, while third-years reported the highest levels of Habitual Action. Discriminatory and scatterplot analysis on the third year cohort revealed that while a proportion of students (47%) reported higher levels of Habitual Action with lower levels of Reflection, there was a small subgroup who also reported higher levels of both Habitual Action and Reflection. Overall, the results showed that PBL does promote the development of reflective thinking, particularly for first-year students, but that this development is not sustained consistently after that. This pointed to other possible factors that could hinder students' development of reflective thinking in PBL.
Descriptors: Constructivism (Learning), Problem Based Learning, Reflective Teaching, Teaching Methods, Comparative Analysis, Questionnaires, Discriminant Analysis, Grouping (Instructional Purposes), Reflection
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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