Acceptance of PBL by Students to Learn Pre-Clinical Sciences

Introduction: Medical education needs to be changed both in content and in teaching methodology . The students need to be prepared with high level of knowledge, analytical skills, critical thinking, selfdirected learning and group dynamism. Problem Based Learning (PBL) can be used as a tool for teaching undergraduate students. PBL is not problem solving but problem analysing. Here the students need to analyse the problem after they have been taught in the conventional method.

Objectives: Find The attitude of students towards PBL.

Methodology: After a year of PBL practise, a twenty two set feedback questionnaire based on Elizondo– Montemayor with 5 point Likert scale was taken from 98 students with 1 as least acceptable to PBL, 5 as most acceptable and 3 as ambivalent response. The data was analysed by using one sample Wilcoxon’s test for two- tailed hypothesis.

Results: Search phase and preparation phase had a median score greater than 3, indicating a positive attitude for these phases. Presentation phase showed ambivalent response towards PBL objectives. Overall response had a mean location above 3 suggesting students acceptance towards the objectives of PBL.

Conclusion: The future PBL sessions can be modified, planned accordingly and executed in a more productive way so as to nurture the development of reflective learning in students to bring maximum improvement in the educational outcome. To have better educational outcome, PBL must be used as an adjunct along with the traditional method.