New, Strong Evidence For Problem-Based Learning

Two new large-scale reports provide convincing empirical evidence that problem- or inquiry-based learning is effective and that teachers, students and parents prefer it as an instructional method - along with other active, immersive techniques.

Problem-based learning works.

Using randomized experimental trials, the gold standard in this type of research, economists Rosangela Bando, Emma Naslund-Hadley and Paul Gertler conducted ten field experiments in four countries (Argentina, Belize, Paraguay, and Peru) covering more than 17,000 students.

They randomly assigned preschool, 3rd and 4th grade classes to receive either problem-based instruction or traditional instructional methods in both math and science and then compared the standardized test scores of students after they had experienced seven months of each method.

The basic ingredients of problem-based learning are that students work together to solve real-life problems or answer questions, using available information or data they collect themselves to come up with solutions. Unlike traditional instruction where teachers explain or demonstrate a concept and then students practice or memorize it, teachers serve more as guides or content elaborators in problem-based exercises.

The researchers found that after seven months of receiving problem-based instruction, students improved by .18 standard deviation (SD) in math and .14 standard deviations in science relative to the standard-instruction students. Those gains increased to .39 and .23 SDs, respectively, after four years. Boys benefitted in particular, improving by .22 SD in math (girls improved .15 SD) and .18 SD in science (girls improved .10 SD).

Even though there were substantial variations in teachers and the specifics of instruction across the various classes and countries, the superiority of problem-based inquiry held up in every situation, demonstrating remarkable robustness in generalizability.

Problem-based learning is preferred by parents, students and teachers.

A brand new report from Gallup, entitled Creativity in Learning, examines the extent to which active learning, problem-based instruction and the creative use of technology are being used in America's k-12 classrooms and the extent to which such methods are valued by users.

In Spring 2019, Gallup conducted national, web-based surveys of teachers, parents and students to quantify creativity in schools, the relationship between creativity and technology, and their impact on student outcomes. The three surveys were conducted with respondents selected to be representative of the U.S. population.

For the student and parent surveys, Gallup interviewed 853 students in grades 6-12 and 2,673 parents who had at least one child in grades K-12.

For the teacher surveys, Gallup interviewed 1,036 full-time, randomly selected teachers currently teaching grades K-12.

Among key findings:

Eighty-seven percent of teachers and 77% of parents agree that learning methods that inspire creativity may take more work but have a bigger impact on students than standard teaching methods.

Sixty-eight percent of teachers indicate that project-based learning offers a good measure of student learning, almost six times the rate (12%) at which they say the same thing about standardized tests.

Only 13% of parents say it's "very important" for their child to do well on standardized tests, but 59% say it's very important for their children to work on a project with real-world applications, and 51% report it's very important for their children to come up with their own ideas about how to solve problems.

A majority of students would prefer to spend more time on problem-based learning and other methods inspiring creativity, but they report that learning "how to do well on standardized tests" still occurs more often than working on real-world projects, trying out different approaches to problems or discussing topics that have no right or wrong answer.

The results of these two studies add to a consensus that problem-based learning is effective, particularly for longer-term learning outcomes, and they are endorsed by the constituents most affected by it - teachers, students and parents.

There's a lesson here for higher education too. Problem-based learning has largely been associated with elementary and secondary education, most frequently in STEM disciplines, where curricula like Project Lead the Way are increasingly in use. But for undergraduate education, it has often been dismissed as merely "learning by doing," a strange criticism you're not likely to level at your surgeon.

That trivialization needs to be replaced with an appreciation that immersive learning techniques like problem-based pedagogy can help college students develop both conceptual abilities and practical skills. And this tide is gradually turning, as respected institutions like Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Purdue, and the universities of Wisconsin and Michigan expand their use of problem-based methods. But the main lesson higher education should learn from its k-12 colleagues is that wider use is warranted. Active, collaborative learning techniques work and they are embraced by those who use them.