The effects of problem based learning on knowledge acquisition, critical thinking, and intrinsic motivation of electrical engineering students
It is timely with the agenda of polytechnic educational transformation, this research was initiated to examine the effects of Problem Based Learning (PBL) on students’ knowledge acquisitions, critical thinking ability, and intrinsic motivation and thus to propose a PBL instructional procedure,...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/2476/1/24p%20ALIAS%20MASEK.pdf http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/2476/ |
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| Summary: | It is timely with the agenda of polytechnic educational transformation, this research was
initiated to examine the effects of Problem Based Learning (PBL) on students’
knowledge acquisitions, critical thinking ability, and intrinsic motivation and thus to
propose a PBL instructional procedure, for the polytechnic’s electrical engineering
course. An experiment, consisting of pre-test and post-test, was carried out on 53
undergraduate students of electrical engineering course, who attended the Electrical
Technology Module (ET101) in their first semester. A control group was maintained in
order to verify the results of the experiment. The treatment used a special design of PBL
procedures in the experimental group for a ten weeks period, and the existing method of
conventional teaching was retained in the control group. Participants completed pre-test
and post-tests based on three instruments: knowledge acquisition test, translated version
of The Cornell Critical Thinking Test Specimen set, and intrinsic motivation
questionnaire. The data were analysed using MANCOVA and results were obtained.
Students’ knowledge acquisition in the PBL group was significantly higher than that of their counterparts [F (1, 44) = 5.37, p < 0.05], with medium effect size (d = .68).
Students’ intrinsic motivation in the PBL group was significantly higher than that of
their counterparts, [F (1, 44) = 5.18, p < 0.05], with medium effect size (d = .68).
However, students’ critical thinking ability in the PBL group was not significantly
different from that of their counterparts in the TLA group [F (1, 44) = .019, p > 0.05].
Therefore, it can be concluded that PBL enhances students’ knowledge acquisitions and
intrinsic motivation, but does not improve students’ critical thinking ability as compared
to conventional approach. The implication is that the PBL procedures used in this study
may be useful for educators in polytechnics, though some modifications are required to
fine-tune the original framework for future implementation. |
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