Middle School PBL – Evidence of Effectiveness

– A study based on interviews with middle school and elementary teachers who provided PBL, sites PBL outcomes of  academic mindsetdepth of learning, problem-solving abilitiesengagement, motivation, character, collaboration, leadership skills, creativity, and life skills. Dole, S. , Bloom, L. , & Doss, K. K. (2017). Engaged Learning: Impact of PBL and PjBL with Elementary and Middle Grade Students. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 11(2). 
Available at:
 https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1685

 In a highly controlled experimental study of PBL in a middle school population,comparisons were made of students learning the same material under three instructional conditions: lecture/discussion, characteristic small-group PBL, and solitary PBL. Assessments of comprehension and application of conceptsin a new context, nine weeks after instruction showed superior mastery in both PBL conditions, relative to the lecture condition. Wirkula, C. & Kuhn, D. (2011). Problem-based learning in K-12 education: Is it effective and how does it achieve its effects? American Educational Research Journal, 48(5), 1157-118. 

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