The Role of Problem-Based Learning Approach in Teaching and Learning Physics: A Systematic Literature Review

Concept of problem-based learning and its implementation

PBL is not more demanding than currently used methods (Argaw et al., 2017) in terms of resources and time and can be implemented with few resources in a school setting and following time allocation for particular topics. However, group work emphasizes interdependency, individual accountability, and the development of social skills that have been found to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Also, it is argued that teachers need to be supported with continuous professional development to be well-equipped with new teaching and learning methods like PBL (Kanyesigye et al., 2022b). The success of implementation lies on the teachers to use PBL. Students depend on their colleagues as they learn. Problem-based learning has been significantly adopted in many educational fields to promote critical thinking and problem-solve in authentic learning situations (Yew & Goh, 2016). These fields include; Medical schools, Business, and Engineering. The professionals can use the skills from these disciplines to serve our communities (Yew & Goh, 2016). A recent study by Luy‐Montejo (2019) suggests that the implementation of PBL in a classroom shall be developed in five stages: Finding a problem; an investigation begins when a task is prepared by the teacher and is given to the learners to be done. Organizing ideas on the problem; learners investigate the problem and generate ideas and knowledge from various sources; the facilitator poses probing questions to learners to stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The group works; the teacher facilitates the distribution process of learners to groups of 5-10 or 15-20 (Kanyesigye et al., 2022a). This depends on the task’s nature, the class’s size, and available space. During the activity, the group will discuss a problem, the scribe notes down the answers for the group, and the peacemaker maintains peace while other members give contributions to the problem. Present findings; learners present solutions to the problem and receive feedback from peers. The teacher consolidates the learning outcomes and allows them to assess their performance. Learners internalize the characteristics of quality work by their peers. Generalizing; problems lead to the development of skills. These skills are useful for solving complex, real-world situations that do not have one ‘right answer.’ These are skills that unlock the world and are sought by employers.

PBL is an educational approach that involves presenting students with complex, open-ended problems that are designed to engage them in critical thinking and problem-solving (Osman et al., 2021). Students work in teams to investigate the problem, gather information, analyze data, and develop solutions. However, there are some potential reasons why PBL may work or not work (Kirschner et al., 2006; Savery & Duffy, 2001; Silver-Hmelo, 2004). It engages students in active learning (PBL encourages students to take an active role in their learning, promoting deep learning and retention of information), develops critical thinking skills (PBL promotes critical thinking skills as students must identify problems, analyze information, and develop solutions), encourages collaboration (PBL requires students to work in teams, which helps develop communication and collaboration skills), relevant to real-world problems (PBL involves solving real-world problems, helping students to understand the relevance and applicability of their learning), and increases motivation (PBL can increase motivation and engagement among students as they feel more invested in the learning process).

There are several factors that can limit the effectiveness of PBL. These include the need for significant guidance from teachers and facilitators to be effective, the time-consuming nature of PBL for both teachers and students, the unsuitability of PBL for certain subjects that require a more structured approach or focus on rote learning, the potential challenges when students lack the necessary background knowledge or skills for effective engagement, and the difficulties in assessing student learning due to the open-ended nature of PBL with multiple possible solutions. Thus, PBL can be a practical educational approach that engages students in active learning, develops critical thinking and collaboration skills, and promotes motivation. However, it requires significant guidance, can be time-consuming, and may not be suitable for all subjects.

Characteristics and effectiveness of PBL in Physics

Problem-based learning is student-centered as the authentic problem engages learners and stimulates their interests (Ojaleye et al., 2018). Problem-based learning promotes learning involvement in which problems are used to encourage learners to actively engage in the learning process rather than relying on the information provided by the teacher. Learners work in teams to confront the problem, identify learning gaps, and develop viable solutions (Ali, 2019). Learners gain new knowledge information through self-directed learning (Wilder, 2015). Therefore, the problems help learners develop problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.

PBL is a method that challenges learners to learn by solving physics problems as applied to our daily life experiences. This method enables learners to be self-directed and acquire lifelong learning skills (Ali, 2019). It produces critical thinkers and problem solvers as learners integrate physics knowledge and skills from the teaching and learning process. PBL motivates learners to find and use appropriate learning resources. Students perceive physics as a difficult subject (Argaw et al., 2017), but research findings have shown that PBL can help students to achieve more in Physics. Several reviews have been done in other fields other than physics education. For instance, the effectiveness of PBL was reviewed in medical studies (Koh et al., 2008; Neville, 2008) and engineering education (Boelt et al., 2022). Our study builds on Coppens et al. (2011) study that systematically reviewed PBL in physics and found that PBL can be effective in promoting student learning outcomes, such as conceptual understanding, depending on several factors, including the quality of the problem, the level of student engagement, and the level of scaffolding and support provided by the teacher. Although researchers did a lot to implement this approach, little is known about which variables are learned under PBL or which skills PBL can accelerate in teaching and learning processes. Therefore, the present study focuses on this research question: What role does the PBL approach have in teaching and learning physics? In other words, we wanted to reveal the effectiveness of the PBL approach in teaching and learning physics. Thus, “role” and “effect” of PBL have been used interchangeably in this manuscript.

PBL improves academic achievement

Studying a subject like physics always targets outcomes such as conceptual understanding and academic achievement. However, all these outcomes are correlated because if you understand a particular concept, you will eventually achieve it or get a good score when tested. In this study, several researchers have tested the effect of PBL on students’ academic achievement, and many of these researchers found a positive effect (Celik et al., 2011; Ince, 2012; Kanyesigye et al., 2022a; Kartal Taşoğlu & Bakaç, 2014; Pease & Kuhn, 2011; Polanco et al., 2004; Savall-Alemany et al., 2019; Shishigu et al., 2018; Yeo et al., 2012). For instance, difficulties in understanding mechanical waves (Kanyesigye et al., 2022a) were remediated by PBL instruction. Based on the Shishigu et al. (2018) findings, it was suggested to apply PBL at the college and tertiary level. Because this strategy was helpful for students to scrutinize the connection between theory and practice and eradicate rote memorization, as well as to understand concepts and principles central to physics.

PBL groups was more successful in preventing the determined misconceptions (Ince, 2012) and more effective than the traditional teaching methods in improving students’ conceptual understanding of magnetism topics (Kartal Taşoğlu & Bakaç, 2014). Likewise, while PBL students’ improvements in scores were significantly more prominent than control students’ improvements on the Mechanics Baseline Test (Polanco et al., 2004), and there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of students’ total mean scores in favor of a PBL group, and PBL was found effective on students’ physics achievement (Celik et al., 2011). In their ethnographic study, Yeo et al. (2012) investigated the learning journey in PBL in a Physics classroom. They described what happened when a high school physics teacher adopted PBL in his classroom and found that the challenges he faced arose from disparities between the motives driving everyday practices and schooling, which they attribute to differences between academies and the lived realities of practitioners. This is why Pease and Kuhn (2011) found that the effective component of the PBL focuses on engagement with a problem rather than the social component typically associated with the method. Achievement of learning was found to be connected to students’ motivation to learn physics (Selçuk, 2010), problem-solving ability (Becerra-Labra et al., 2012), and critical thinking ability (Mundilarto & Ismoyo, 2017).

PBL increases attitude toward physics and physics learning

In this study, such outcomes from the attitude toward learning physics were effective (Bergin et al., 2018; Kampen et al., 2004; Kanyesigye et al., 2022b; Maryuningsih et al., 2019; Sahin, 2009; Selçuk & Çalişkan, 2010). For instance, results from the study that investigated the effect of PBL on students’ attitudes indicated that the experimental group was more satisfied than the control group (Selçuk & Çalişkan, 2010). Analysis of student responses indicates that students in the PBL group engaged more in higher-order problem-solving skills and demonstrated a deeper understanding of the learning process than students in the more traditionally hands-on group (Bergin et al., 2018). Teachers appreciated using PBL in the classroom, and the statistical findings indicated a high statistical significance (Kanyesigye et al., 2022b) compared to other teachers that did not receive PBL training. However, the findings from Sahin (2009) suggested further study to investigate predictors and correlates of students’ physics learning using qualitative measures to support and more clearly interpret the numerical finding.

Students’ academic achievement is connected to how students appreciate learning methods such as PBL. In this regard, perception, beliefs, and attitude show beneficiaries’ appreciation of a specific input. It is reasonable to believe that if students excel in a particular subject, they are more likely to develop a positive attitude towards it or experience an increase in their liking for that subject. Such attitudes depend on input, such as the teaching method used, like PBL, and vice versa. When students possess a positive attitude on a specific subject, they will likely be able to perform well (Heng & Mansor, 2010; Sahin, 2010b). Then, if a new or modernized method improves students’ academic achievement, it will be favored over a traditional method. For instance, group factor ANOVA and one-way ANOVA showed that information literacy treatment affected academic self-efficacy and learning performance (Heng & Mansor, 2010). The results showed a causal relationship between information literacy training and the improvement of university students’ academic self-efficacy and learning performance in a PBL environment. The authors confirmed that information literacy training could help increase college students’ academic self-efficacy and learning performance, which is essential in the PBL learning process.

PBL develops critical thinking and problem-solving abilities

Critical thinking and problem-solving are potential skills that students need to possess in this 21^st century (Osman et al., 2021). We can hypothesize that if a student likes a subject, understands it, and performs on it well, he will eventually possess such potential skills. These two skills were elaborated in this study in many physics studies, the effectiveness of PBL in developing critical thinking (Jatmiko et al., 2018; Parno et al., 2019; Wartono et al., 2018) and problem-solving (Jandric et al., 2011; Pawlak et al., 2020; Yuberti et al., 2019). For instance, the results of the effect sizes analysis on the influence of problem-based learning showed a great effect on the critical thinking ability for students in optical instrument topics (Parno et al., 2019). Research on approaching problem-solving skills of momentum and impulse phenomena using problem-based learning showed that the context and problem-based learning (C-PBL) model affected the physics problem-solving skills (Yuberti et al., 2019). A study by Osman et al. (2021) showed a relationship between problem-solving ability and critical thinking ability. Science teachers’ experiences study when implementing problem-based learning in rural schools (Osman et al., 2021) indicated that teachers changed their teaching as learners made predictions, formulated hypotheses, and were involved in thought-provoking activities. Problem-solving and critical thinking abilities are critical skills in physics education. Physics is a subject that requires students to apply logical reasoning, mathematical skills, and critical thinking to solve complex problems. The ability to think critically is essential in physics education as it helps students to analyze and evaluate information, identify patterns, and develop a deeper understanding of the subject. Eventually, problem-solving and critical thinking abilities are interconnected. Effective problem-solving requires students to think critically, analyze information, and evaluate potential solutions. At the same time, critical thinking skills are essential for students to develop effective problem-solving strategies and select the best solution.

PBL develops mental models, science process skills, cooperative learning, and creative thinking

Finally, developing problem-solving and critical thinking abilities can be bettered by attaining science process skills and mental models. The skills required to engage in systematic scientific inquiry are commonly referred to as the scientific process. Enyeneokpon (2012) found a relationship between academic achievement and science process skills. For instance, students exposed to a problem-based learning strategy obtained higher science process skills scores (73.67) than those exposed to the conventional lecture method (26.73). Critical thinking ability and creative thinking ability (Yanti et al., 2022) are both important cognitive skills that are interrelated and complement each other. Critical thinking involves evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing information to arrive at a logical conclusion or solution. In contrast, creative thinking involves generating novel and original ideas, perspectives, and solutions. A mental model is a cognitive framework or mental representation that individuals use to understand, interpret, and make sense of the world around them. Mental models are based on an individual’s experiences, knowledge, beliefs, and assumptions, and they help shape how individuals perceive and interact with their environment. The fact that PBL showed a positive effect in developing mental models (Batlolona et al., 2020; Batlolona & Souisa, 2020) could be a solution for physics teachers across all levels of education. Overall, PBL was effectively implemented when students learned in cooperative learning groups (Saka & Kumaş, 2009). This shows the potential of PBL in regard to constructivism learning theory. Constructivism posits that individuals actively construct their own understanding and knowledge through their experiences and interactions with the environment. In PBL, students are presented with a real-world problem or scenario that requires them to apply their knowledge and skills to develop a solution. The problem serves as the starting point for learning, and students are expected to actively engage in the learning process by seeking out information, working collaboratively, and reflecting on their experiences.