Nursing students’ views on the effectiveness of problem-based learning

A descriptive study was conducted with 28 nursing students in Macao and 23 nursing students in Shanghai to explore students’ views on the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL). The PBL Evaluation Questionnaire was used. It used a 20-item self-report Likert scale with a 5-point response choice (1 = ineffective and 5 = very effective). The value of the content validity index tested by five experts was determined as one and the internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.90. The test–retest reliability with a two-week internal check was 0.89. Two open-ended questions were asked to determine students’ comments on the positive and negative features of PBL. The response rate was 100%. Overall, students considered PBL to be moderately effective with a mean of 3.58 (S.D. = 0.52). Students from Macao considered PBL to be less effective than students from Shanghai. However, half of the Macao students and 21.74% of the Shanghai students indicated that PBL was a time-consuming and stressful process that involved an increased workload. A small number of students indicated that sometimes the information they received was vague and this resulted in a lack of student confidence. It is clear that the initial implementation of PBL is not always a smooth process. Tutors should be prepared to provide students with substantial support in developing their understanding of PBL, and help students develop appropriate strategies for coping and engaging in the PBL learning process.