Geology and Environment: A Problem-Based Learning Study in Higher Education

Tânia Pinto,Clara Vasconcelos,António Guerner Dias

doi:10.3390/geosciences11040173

Tânia Pinto, Clara Vasconcelos + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11040173

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Journal: Geosciences	Publication Date: Apr 11, 2021
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Porto

Abstract

We aimed to contribute to a shift in higher education teaching and learning methods by considering problem-based learning (PBL) as an approach capable of positively affecting students from a geology and environment (GE) curricular unit. In a convenience sample from a Portuguese public university, two groups of students were defined: (1) an experimental group (n = 16), to which an intervention program (IP) based on PBL was applied, and (2) a comparison group (n = 17), subjected to the traditional teaching approach. For nine weeks, students subject to the IP faced four problem scenarios about different themes. A triangulation of methods was chosen. The study involved two phases: (1) qualitative (sustained on content analysis of driving questions raised by students, registered in a monitoring sheet) and (2) quantitative (quasi-experimental study, based on data from a prior and post-test knowledge assessment). The qualitative results point to the development of more complex cognitive-level questioning skills after increasing familiarity with PBL. The data obtained in the quantitative study, which included both a “within-subjects” and a “between-subjects” design, show higher benefits in the experimental group, documenting gains in terms of scientific knowledge when using the PBL methodology.

Highlights

IntroductionTraditional educational practices in higher education are not compatible with contemporary society [1], which requires skills at several levels often referred to in international documents (e.g., [2])
Published: 11 April 2021Fostering 21st century skills necessitates the use of methods promoting students’ involvement in the construction of their own knowledge, assigning them a role of critical and argumentative questioners in relation to everyday problems in a collaborative context.traditional educational practices in higher education are not compatible with contemporary society [1], which requires skills at several levels often referred to in international documents (e.g., [2])
The results point to an evolution toward an increased complexity in question elaboration, i.e., to the predominance of high cognitive-level questions in relation to low cognitive-level questions, as familiarity with the cognitive procedures inherent to the problem-based learning (PBL) methodology increased

Summary

Introduction

Traditional educational practices in higher education are not compatible with contemporary society [1], which requires skills at several levels often referred to in international documents (e.g., [2]). The Bologna Process, started in the late nineties of last century, challenged the higher education system with an unprecedented rethinking of the teaching paradigm, which implied changing the focus from the teacher to the student [3]. Recent international studies indicate lecture-based learning is still the primary applied method in the classroom in higher education [5]. In Portugal, the reorganizations introduced by the Bologna Process in higher education call for an actual paradigm shift, as it is considered merely a rudimentary shift [6]

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