Students can experience flow from problem-based learning in Conservation Genetics

Jae-Llane Ditchburn

doi:10.31686/ijier.vol8.iss11.2780

Authors

Jae-Llane Ditchburn University of Cumbria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7499-6790

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol8.iss11.2780

Keywords:

problem-based learning, flow, focus groups, students, cognition, Conservation Genetics

Abstract

Learning in flow is the ultimate experience. Flow means being completely absorbed and focused in the moment. This study investigates the possibility of achieving flow from problem-based learning in students. Problem-based learning was used to teach Conservation Genetics to nineteen undergraduate students. Their perceptions of the learning experience were evaluated using a focus group interview. Four themes were generated: enjoyment of learning activity, cooperation, independent learning and appreciation of learning. Students were thoroughly engaged in the learning activity and simultaneously driven by curiosity and interest of the subject to remain challenged, focused and motivated at the task at hand. Problem-based learning applied in teaching Conservation Genetics influenced enjoyment, an aspect of flow during the learning activity. These findings suggest that the flow experience induced from problem-based learning enhances student learning and appreciation of the subject.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Jae-Llane Ditchburn, University of Cumbria

Lecturer in Molecular Biology, Institute of Science, Natural Resources and Outdoor Studies

References

Abdullah, A., & Abas, Z. W. (2011). Appreciation of learning environment and development of higher-order learning skills in a problem-based learning medical curriculum. Med J Malaysia, 66(5), 435.

Albanese, M. A., & Mitchell, S. (1993). Problem-based learning: A review of literature on its outcomes and implementation issues. ACADEMIC MEDICINE-PHILADELPHIA-, 68, 52–52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199301000-00012

Bakker, A. B. (2005). Flow among music teachers and their students: The crossover of peak experiences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66, 26–44. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2003.11.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2003.11.001

Barrett, T. (2010). The problem‐based learning process as finding and being in flow. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47(2), 165–174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14703291003718901

Barrows, H. S. (1986). A taxonomy of problem‐based learning methods. Medical Education, 20(6), 481–486. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.1986.tb01386.x

Bazeley, P. (2017). Integrating analyses in mixed methods research. Sage. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781526417190 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526417190

Bechtel, R. B., & Churchman, A. (2003). Handbook of environmental psychology. John Wiley & Sons.

Belt, S., Evans, E., McCreedy, T., Overton, T., & Summerfield, S. (2002). A problem based learning approach to analytical and applied chemistry. University Chemistry Education, 6(2), 65–72.

BERA. (2011). Ethical guidelines for educational research. Retrieved from British Education Research Association website: https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BERA-Ethical-Guidelines-2011.pdf

Berzonsky, M. D., & Kuk, L. S. (2005). Identity style, psychosocial maturity, and academic performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 39(1), 235–247. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.01.010

Blumenfeld, P. C., Marx, R. W., Soloway, E., & Krajcik, J. (1996). Learning with peers: From small group cooperation to collaborative communities. Educational Researcher, 25(8), 37–39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X025008037

Blunsdon, B., Reed, K., McNeil, N., & McEachern, S. (2003). Experiential learning in social science theory: An investigation of the relationship between student enjoyment and learning. Higher Education Research & Development, 22(1), 43–56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0729436032000056544

Brophy, J. (1999). Toward a model of the value aspects of motivation in education: Developing appreciation for.. Educational Psychologist, 34(2), 75–85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3402_1

Brophy, J. (2008). Developing students’ appreciation for what is taught in school. Educational Psychologist, 43(3), 132–141. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520701756511

Choy, S. C., & Cheah, P. K. (2009). Teacher perceptions of critical thinking among students and its influence on higher education. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 20(2), 198–206.

Cottrell, S. (2013). The study skills handbook. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-28926-1

Coulson, R. (1983). Problem-based student-centred learning of the cardiovascular system using the problem-based learning module (PBLM). Physiologist, 26, 220–224.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper & Row.

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, I. (1988). Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. New York: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511621956

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. (1997). Flow and education. NAMTA Journal, 22(2), 2–35.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, & Larson, R. (2014). Validity and reliability of the experience-sampling method. In Flow and the foundations of positive psychology (pp. 35–54). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_3

Custodero, L. A. (2002). Seeking challenge, finding skill: Flow experience and music education. Arts Education Policy Review, 103(3), 3–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10632910209600288

Dahlgren, M. A., & Dahlgren, L.-O. (2002). Portraits of PBL: Students’ experiences of the characteristics of problem-based learning in physiotherapy, computer engineering and psychology. Instructional Science, 30(2), 111–127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014819418051

Distlehorst, L. H., Dawson, E., Robbs, R. S., & Barrows, H. S. (2005). Problem-based learning outcomes: The glass half-full. Academic Medicine, 80(3), 294–299. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-200503000-00020

Dochy, F., Segers, M., Van den Bossche, P., & Gijbels, D. (2003). Effects of problem-based learning: A meta-analysis. Learning and Instruction, 13(5), 533–568. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(02)00025-7

Duch, B. J. (1996). Problem-Based Learning in Physics: The Power of Students Teaching Students. Journal of College Science Teaching, 15(5), 326–329.

Duch, B. J., Groh, S. E., & Allen, D. E. (2001). Why problem-based learning. The Power of Problem-Based Learning, 3–11.

Eisenstaedt, R. S., Barry, W., & Glanz, K. (1990). Problem-based learning: Cognitive retention and cohort traits of randomly selected participants and decliners. Academic Medicine, 65(9), S11-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199009000-00020

Ellwood, R., & Abrams, E. (2018). Student’s social interaction in inquiry-based science education: How experiences of flow can increase motivation and achievement. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 13(2), 395–427. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-016-9769-x

Fereday, J., & Muir-Cochrane, E. (2006). Demonstrating rigor using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 80–92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500107

Fraser, B., McRobbie, C., & Fisher, D. (1996). Development, validation and use of personal and class forms of a new classroom environment questionnaire. Presented at the Proceedings Western Australian Institute for educational research forum.

Fritz, B. S., & Avsec, A. (2007). The experience of flow and subjective well-being of music students. Horizons of Psychology, 16(2), 5–17.

Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative learning enhances critical thinking. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/jte.v7i1.a.2

González-Cutre, D., Sicilia, Á., Moreno, J. A., & Fernández-Balboa, J. M. (2009). Dispositional flow in physical education: Relationships with motivational climate, social goals, and perceived competence. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 28(4), 422–440. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.28.4.422

Hansen, R. S. (2006). Benefits and problems with student teams: Suggestions for improving team projects. Journal of Education for Business, 82(1), 11–19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.82.1.11-19

Hendy, P. L., & Hadgraft, R. G. (2002). Evaluating problem-based learning in Civil Engineering. Proceedings of the 13th Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, 133–139. Canberra, Australia.

Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EDPR.0000034022.16470.f3

Hsieh, C., & Knight, L. (2008). Problem-based learning for engineering students: An evidence-based comparative study. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34(1), 25–30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2007.11.007

Ibáñez, M. B., Di Serio, Á., Villarán, D., & Kloos, C. D. (2014). Experimenting with electromagnetism using augmented reality: Impact on flow student experience and educational effectiveness. Computers & Education, 71, 1–13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.09.004

ICO. (2015). Data protection act. Retrieved from https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/what-we-do/data-protection-act/

Inkelas, K. K., & Weisman, J. L. (2003). Different by design: An examination of student outcomes among participants in three types of living-learning programs. Journal of College Student Development, 44(3), 335–368. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2003.0027

Jackson, S. A. (1996). Toward a conceptual understanding of the flow experience in elite athletes. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 67(1), 76–90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.1996.10607928

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1999). Making cooperative learning work. Theory into Practice, 38(2), 67–73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849909543834

Johnson, J. R., & Szczupakiewicz, N. (1987). The public speaking course: Is it preparing students with work related public speaking skills? Communication Education, 36(2), 131–137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03634528709378653

Johnson, R. T., & Johnson, D. W. (1986). Cooperative learning in the science classroom. Science and Children, 24(2), 31–32.

Johnson, R. T., & Johnson, D. W. (1991). Cooperative learning: The best of the one‐room schoolhouse. The Teacher Educator, 27(1), 6–13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08878739109554992

Kagan, S. (1989). The structural approach to cooperative learning. Educational Leadership, 47(4), 12–15.

Kember, D., & Gow, L. (1994). Orientations to teaching and their effect on the quality of student learning. The Journal of Higher Education, 65(1), 58–74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1994.11778474

Khine, M. S., Fraser, B. J., Afari, E., Oo, Z., & Kyaw, T. T. (2018). Students’ perceptions of the learning environment in tertiary science classrooms in Myanmar. Learning Environments Research, 21(1), 135–152. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-017-9250-0

Kilroy, D. (2004). Problem based learning. Emergency Medicine Journal, 21(4), 411–413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/emj.2003.012435

Kimmons, J. V., & Spruiell, P. R. (2005). Using problem-based learning in a multidisciplinary setting. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 23(4), 385–395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X0502300418

Kitzinger, J. (1995). Qualitative research. Introducing focus groups. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 311(7000), 299. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.311.7000.299

MacIntyre, P. D., Thivierge, K. A., & MacDonald, J. R. (1997). The effects of audience interest, responsiveness, and evaluation on public speaking anxiety and related variables. Communication Research Reports, 14(2), 157–168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08824099709388657

Maitland, B. (1997). Problem-based learning for architecture and construction management. The Challenge of Problem-Based Learning, 211–217.

Maudsley, G. (1999). Roles and responsibilities of the problem based learning tutor in the undergraduate medical curriculum. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 318(7184), 657. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.318.7184.657

Meyer, B., Haywood, N., Sachdev, D., & Faraday, S. (2008). What is independent learning and what are the benefits for pupils? Department for Education Publication. Retrieved May, 28, 2011.

Mills, J. E., & Treagust, D. F. (2003). Engineering education—Is problem-based or project-based learning the answer. Australasian Journal of Engineering Education, 3(2), 2–16.

Mohammad-Davoudi, A. H., & Parpouchi, A. (2016). Relation between team motivation, enjoyment, and cooperation and learning results in learning area based on team-based learning among students of Tehran University of medical science. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 230, 184–189. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.09.023

Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). The concept of flow. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 89–105). New York: Oxford University Press.

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1609406917733847. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847

Oberlander, J., & Talbert-Johnson, C. (2004). Using technology to support problem-based learning. Action in Teacher Education, 25(4), 48–57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2004.10648296

Padmavathy, R., & Mareesh, K. (2013). Effectiveness of Problem Based Learning In Mathematics. International Multidisciplinary E-Journal, 2(1), 45–51.

Pennell, M., & Miles, L. (2009). “It actually made me think”: Problem-based learning in the business communications classroom. Business Communication Quarterly, 72(4), 377–394. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569909349482

Poulton, T., Conradi, E., Kavia, S., Round, J., & Hilton, S. (2009). The replacement of ‘paper’cases by interactive online virtual patients in problem-based learning. Medical Teacher, 31(8), 752–758. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590903141082

Prosser, M., & Trigwell, K. (1999). Understanding learning and teaching: The experience in higher education. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Qin, Z., Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1995). Cooperative versus competitive efforts and problem solving. Review of Educational Research, 65(2), 129–143. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543065002129

Raettig, T., & Weger, U. (2018). Learning as a Shared Peak Experience: Interactive Flow in Higher Education. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 1–22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-018-0011-9

Ram, P. (1999). Problem-based learning in undergraduate instruction. A sophomore chemistry laboratory. Journal of Chemical Education, 76(8), 1122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/ed076p1122

Reid, A., & Solomonides, I. (2007). Design students’ experience of engagement and creativity. Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, 6(1), 27–39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/adch.6.1.27_1

Savin-Baden, M., Tombs, C., Poulton, T., Conradi, E., Kavia, S., Burden, D., & Beaumont, C. (2011). An evaluation of implementing problem-based learning scenarios in an immersive virtual world. International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4e92.b22f

Scherer, M. (2002). Do students care about learning? A conversation with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Educational Leadership, 60(1), 12–17.

Schmidt, Hendricus Gerard. (1983). Problem‐based learning: Rationale and description. Medical Education, 17(1), 11–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.1983.tb01086.x

Schmidt, Henk G. (1989). The rationale behind problem-based learning. In New directions for medical education (pp. 105–111). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3472-2_8

Schworm, S., & Holzer, L. (2018). Flow-experience and acceptance in scenariobased e-learning settings in higher education-an empirical comparison of goalbased and gamebased learning environments. 2117–2126. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

Shernoff, D. J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2009). Cultivating engaged learners and optimal learning environments. Handbook of Positive Psychology in Schools, 131–145.

Slavin, R. E. (1983). When does cooperative learning increase student achievement? Psychological Bulletin, 94(3), 429. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.94.3.429

Smith, J. K. (1983). Quantitative versus qualitative research: An attempt to clarify the issue. Educational Researcher, 12(3), 6–13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X012003006

Tannenbaum, S. I., Beard, R. L., & Salas, E. (1992). Team building and its influence on team effectiveness: An examination of conceptual and empirical developments. In Advances in psychology (Vol. 82, pp. 117–153). Elsevier. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-4115(08)62601-1

Taylor, C. (2006). Threshold concepts in Biology. Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge, 87.

Tiwari, A., Lai, P., So, M., & Yuen, K. (2006). A comparison of the effects of problem‐based learning and lecturing on the development of students’ critical thinking. Medical Education, 40(6), 547–554. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02481.x

Topping, K. J. (2005). Trends in peer learning. Educational Psychology, 25(6), 631–645. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410500345172

van Den Hurk, M. (2006). The relation between self-regulated strategies and individual study time, prepared participation and achievement in a problem-based curriculum. Active Learning in Higher Education, 7(2), 155–169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787406064752

Walker, A., & Leary, H. (2009). A problem based learning meta analysis: Differences across problem types, implementation types, disciplines, and assessment levels. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 3(1), 6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1061

Walton, H. J., & Matthews, M. (1989). Essentials of problem‐based learning. Medical Education, 23(6), 542–558. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.1989.tb01581.x

Webb, N. M. (1982). Student interaction and learning in small groups. Review of Educational Research, 52(3), 421–445. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543052003421

Williams, A., & Williams, P. (1994). Problem based learning: An approach to teaching technology. Research and Development in Problem Based Learning, 2, 355–367.

Woodward, C. A. (1996). Problem-based learning in medical education: Developing a research agenda. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 1(1), 83–94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00596231