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The role of environmental and individual characteristics in the development of student achievement: a comparison between a traditional and a problem-based-learning curriculum.
Journal article

The role of environmental and individual characteristics in the development of student achievement: a comparison between a traditional and a problem-based-learning curriculum.

  • Schauber SK Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science and Department for Assessment, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Luisenstraße 57, 10117, Berlin, Germany. stefan.schauber@charite.de.
  • Hecht M Institute for Educational Quality Improvement, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany.
  • Nouns ZM Institute of Medical Education, University of Bern, Konsumstrasse 13, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
  • Kuhlmey A Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Luisenstraße 57, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
  • Dettmer S Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Luisenstraße 57, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
  • 2015-01-25
Published in:
  • Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice. - 2015
Achievement
Curricular comparison
Development
Emotion
Problem-based learning
Progress test
Structural equation modelling
Achievement
Curriculum
Education, Medical, Undergraduate
Educational Measurement
Female
Germany
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Models, Educational
Problem-Based Learning
Psychometrics
Self Efficacy
Social Environment
Social Support
English In medical education, the effect of the educational environment on student achievement has primarily been investigated in comparisons between traditional and problem-based learning (PBL) curricula. As many of these studies have reached no clear conclusions on the superiority of the PBL approach, the effect of curricular reform on student performance remains an issue. We employed a theoretical framework that integrates antecedents of student achievement from various psychosocial domains to examine how students interact with their curricular environment. In a longitudinal study with N = 1,646 participants, we assessed students in a traditional and a PBL-centered curriculum. The measures administered included students' perception of the learning environment, self-efficacy beliefs, positive study-related affect, social support, indicators of self-regulated learning, and academic achievement assessed through progress tests. We compared the relations between these characteristics in the two curricular environments. The results are two-fold. First, substantial relations of various psychosocial domains and their associations with achievement were identified. Second, our analyses indicated that there are no substantial differences between traditional and PBL-based curricula concerning the relational structure of psychosocial variables and achievement. Drawing definite conclusions on the role of curricular-level interventions in the development of student's academic achievement is constrained by the quasi-experimental design as wells as the selection of variables included. However, in the specific context described here, our results may still support the view of student activity as the key ingredient in the acquisition of achievement and performance.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/278407
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