The effects of using problem-based learning in science and technology teaching upon students' academic achievement and levels of structuring concepts

Education mainly aims to help students learn better and acquire higher order thinking skills that they are going to use throughout their lives. These skills include inquiry-learning skills and critical and creative thinking skills. Therefore, it is of great importance to create learning environments based on the constructivist approach to ensure that students play an active role in their own learning process and access knowledge through investigation and questioning. Constructivism is a student-centered learning approach, which maintains that students construct newly encountered information using the learning environments in which they are actively engaged (Juniu, 2006; Gijbels and Loyens, 2009). The constructivist approach argues that individuals’ behaviors and ideas that develop later are based on their previously constructed ideas, and that learning is a process involving an association established by learners between their existing knowledge and new ideas and experiences (Tsai, 2002; Liang and Gabel, 2005). Thus, this approach suggests that when students construct new ideas or new concepts, they learn using their previous knowledge after a process of mental balancing, rather than by directly eliciting information from their teachers (Ben-Ari, 2001; Hsu, 2004). In learning environments based on the constructivist approach, students are active in the learning process and in charge of their learning (Brooks and Brooks, 2001), while teachers act as guides by providing students with suitable environments to construct knowledge (Taber, 2000). Constructivist learning environments bring individuals into closer social interaction and thus allow them to have rich learning experiences (Yaşar, 1998). Such active learning environments play an important part in achieving meaningful and retentive learning since they allow students to improve their problem-solving, creative thinking and critical thinking skills (Neo and Neo, 2009). Therefore, it is crucially important to create learning environments based on the constructivist approach, which allows students to use and thus improve their higher order thinking skills and helps their active participation in learning process. Today, various methods and techniques including cooperative learning, project-base learning, concept cartoons, concept maps and mind maps formed on the basis of the constructivist approach, and research has been conducted on the different characteristics of such methods and techniques (Duru and Gürdal, 2002; Rao, 2004; Valadares, Fonseca and Soares, 2004; Amma, 2005; Trevino, 2005; Brinkmann, 2005; Balım, İnel and Evrekli, 2008; Evrekli, Balım and İnel, 2009; Hulubova, 2008; Seo, Templeton and Pellegrino, 2008). Problem-based learning is one of the methods that helps create learning environments based on the constructivist approach.

The problem-based learning method has been described as a suitable method for constructivist approach since it allows students to associate their previous knowledge with newly acquired knowledge while working in cooperative groups to solve a daily life problem (Yenal, İra and Oflas, 2003; Tarhan and Acar, 2007; Tseng, Chiang and Hsu, 2008). Problem-based learning was developed in mid-1960s as an alternative method to the conventional approach and was first applied to the McMaster Medical Faculty in Canada (Bowdish et al., 2003; Loyens, Magda and Rikers, 2008). Problem-based learning has been employed since then in other fields including business, education, law, nursing and engineering (Chen, 2008; Massa, 2008). Problem-based learning is a learning method that uses problems as a basis for students to improve their problem-solving skills and to obtain knowledge (Uden and Beaumont, 2005). In the problem-based learning method, which highlights the use of real problems from daily life as a stimulus for learning, students work on scenario-based problems in a small group of 5-12 individuals (Berkel and Schmidt, 2000; Arts, Gijselaers and Segers, 2002). In problem-based learning environments, students learn new information while in the process of solving problems about daily life (Atan, Sulaiman and Idrus, 2005). For this reason, while conventional teaching uses problems to apply related concepts and principles at the end of the subjects in a unit, problem-based learning environments use problems as an instrument to improve students’ problem solving skills and to teach them new concepts (Maudsley, 1999; Neville and Britt, 2007).

In the conventional approach, students are seen as individuals who passively accept information; whereas, in problem-based learning environments where learning takes place through problems, students are regarded as individuals who can access information through research and who question information. Therefore, in problem-based learning, students assume greater responsibility for their own learning. Due to such transformation in students’ roles, teaching by knowledge transfer from the teacher is much less frequent in problem-based learning than in the conventional approach (Yip, 2002). That is why in problem-based learning environments, teachers’ roles also differ from those in the conventional approach. In such learning environments, teachers (guides) play a helper’s role by assisting students to learn by themselves. The guide should not transfer his/her knowledge about a subject to the students so that the student can acquire learning skills through self-management, but the teacher should try to reveal his/her existing knowledge by encouraging students in cognitive activities (Dolmans et al., 2005). Thus, students will not rely on their teachers to learn; instead, they will become independent learners throughout their lives (Sungur and Tekkaya, 2006).

Recently, much research has been conducted on learning environments that use problem-based learning, a method that requires students to be responsible for their own learning and allow them to gain access to knowledge through investigation, inquiry, and criticism. In the light of such research, it could be argued that the problem-based learning method contributes to students in many ways. Most studies have concluded that problem-based learning has many positive effects. First of all, students improve their problem-solving skills in the process of problem-based learning as they resolve given problem cases by themselves (Murray-Harvery et al., 2005). Arguably, acquisition of such skills will assist them in solving problems that they encounter throughout their lives. Thus, it could be possible to raise individuals who can resolve the problems they encounter through inquiry, research, and cooperation. Problem-based learning improves students’ communication and cooperative skills, along with their cognitive skills used in problem solving and thinking paths (Hämäläinen, 2004). Particularly in the learning process, it leads to the creation of knowledge through social communication by encouraging students to interact with their environment (Sungur and Tekkaya, 2006). Aiming to help students gain access to knowledge through group work, the problem-based learning method underlines the importance of cooperative learning and helps students improve their cooperative learning skills (Visshers-Pleijers et al., 2006). In this way, the process of problem-based learning not only encourages students to take responsibility in their own learning, but it also serves to improve teamwork skills (Hughes and Lucas, 1997).

Today, science and technology teaching has increased in importance since it positively contributes to the development of countries through innovation and discovery. Therefore, it is believed that the problem-based learning method will have positive effects for students in various aspects, for example, medical education (Alper, 2008; Raupach and diğerleri; 2010), nursing education (Lin and diğerleri, 2010), engineering education (Güzeliş, 2006; Awang and Ramly, 2008) and student teachers education (Dahlgren, Castensson and Dahlgren, 1998; Peterson and Treagust, 1998; Gürses and diğerleri, 2007; Park and Ertmer, 2007) vocational high school education (Arıcı and Kıdıman, 2007), primary school education (Sönmez and Lee, 2003; Araz and Sungur, 2007a; Araz and Sungur, 2007b). Research has also shown it will have positive contributions on achieving effectively teaching science and technology. It is particularly believed that the problem-based learning method will be effective in improving students’ cognitive levels, or to put it in another way, their academic achievement and level of concept construction so that they can adapt to the changing and developing world. That is why the need arose to carry out the present study.