Problem Based Learning Instruction Approaches for Students’ Intrinsic Motivation Stimulus

Abstract

A flawed methodology in the design of Problem Based Learning (PBL) instructional procedure often result in students’ discomfort in working in a PBL environment. As a result, student interest might difficult to sustain, and their intrinsic motivation in learning through the PBL process will be difficult to determine. This paper proposes a fourteen-step PBL instructional procedure which addresses intrinsic motivation within the students’ learning process. This particular case study addressed a course in the first year syllabus of an Electrical Engineering diploma programme. Within this course, this instructional procedure was experimentally tested and compared with Traditional Learning Approaches (TLA). The results indicated that students’ intrinsic motivation level for PBL group exceeded the students’ intrinsic motivation level in the TLA. Therefore, the fourteen-step PBL design proposed, was effective in increasing students’ intrinsic motivation than that of the TLA.