Latent profile analysis on the effectiveness of tutor performance: Influence on medical students’ engagement in blended problem-based learning

Tutor performance is a critical factor for the success of a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. This study investigated medical students' perceptions of the effectiveness of tutor performance and the relationships with learning engagement (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement) in the blended PBL approach. This study employed a cross-sectional survey and data were collected from 238 first-year and second-year medical students. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to investigate how individual students' perceptions of tutor performance can be clustered. Follow-up multiple one-way analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to examine the relationships with students' learning engagement in PBL activities. The effectiveness of tutor performance perceived by students was classified into lowly, moderately, and highly effective tutors. These clustering profiles were significantly related to the different types of learning engagement in the blended PBL process. Hence, this study highlights that the tutor is one of the key aspects of assessing the implementation of blended PBL since student performance is positively associated with the perception of tutor effectiveness.