This study examines middle school students' learning and motivation as they engaged in a new media enriched problem-based learning (PBL) environment for middle school science. Using a mixed-method design with both quantitative and qualitative data, we investigated the effect of a new media environment on sixth graders' science learning, their…

In this paper we describe the development and evaluation of two activities for delivery in first year B.Sc. and M.Chem. degree courses, in which we introduced an international context representing either a linguistic or a cultural modification to the previously developed case studies. The case studies focus on an industrial and an environmental…

The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between students' epistemological beliefs and conceptions of teaching and learning. The results showed that the epistemological beliefs dimension "learning effort/process" was positively related to the constructivist conception of teaching and learning, and negatively related…

This paper explores what work readiness means for two cohorts of graduate engineers, one from a traditional curriculum, the second from a largely project-based curriculum. Professional bodies and employers have defined a set of attributes for engineering graduates so that graduates will be "work ready". Problem-based learning (PBL) is…

There is wide agreement that problem-based learning is a key strategy to promote individual abilities for "learning how to learn". This paper presents the main contributions that reflective journals and the problem-based learning approach can make to foster professional knowledge and quality learning in higher education. Thirty-six…

The Ministry of National Education of Turkey has decided to give up traditional methods to be used in the classes and to develop a new secondary school curriculum based on Context-Based Learning (CBL) in 2007. This paper discusses integrating Problem-Based Learning (PBL) tasks into the new physics curriculum in Turkey. A brief overview of a…

This article presents the findings of a study of the interrelationships between students' individual characteristics, self-efficacy beliefs, parental involvement, university and classroom learning environments; teachers' individual characteristics, teaching efficacies, university and classroom learning environments, teacher outcomes and approaches…

This paper presents the structure of an undergraduate course entitled "programming techniques and the use of specialised software in structural engineering" which is offered to the fifth (final) year students of the Civil Engineering Department of Aristotle University Thessaloniki in Greece. The aim of this course is to demonstrate the…

The study presents an analysis of student papers at the end of a problem-based course designed to create an active learning environment and encourage a deep approach to learning. It explores the achievement and participation characteristics of students claiming to have "learned nothing" and suggests the impact of student resistance. (Contains 3…

Evidence supporting Problem-based learning (PBL) fostering students' self-directed learning (SDL) in hybrid PBL curricula is inconsistent. To explore the influence of PBL in a hybrid curriculum on students' SDL, the authors investigated the following: (1) students' self-assessed SDL ability, (2) students' perceptions of the influence of curricular…

The need in modern healthcare for professionals who are self-directed and autonomous has increased in recent decades. Problem-based learning is spreading in nursing education as one strategy for meeting these demands. This article deals with the relationship between the design and execution of nursing education curricula and students'…

Problem based learning (PBL) started to spread in health professions in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of this century. There are several challenges facing its implementation such as defects on interpersonal communications and self-directed learning. These challenges would affect students' performance in small group discussions and their…

The five stage cycle model is an interactive flash platform that proposes a challenging scenario with associated questions about light wave features and correlations. As the students navigate from stage to stage, they are able to access some related resources and engage in small group discussions. The students are able to revisit their responses…

In this study directive tutor guidance in problem-based learning (PBL) of statistics is investigated. In a quasi experiment in an educational setting, directive guiding tutors were compared with tutors in a more traditional role. Results showed that the subjective perceptions of the students with regard to the course, the tutor, and the…

In this paper, we explore some aspects regarding the introduction of an active learning approach to deal with environmental issues in secondary school during natural sciences lessons. Integrated curricular program and PBL (problem-based learning) are comprehensive approaches designed to engage students in investigation of authentic problems. We…