A Problem Based Learning Meta Analysis: Differences Across Problem Types, Implementation Types, Disciplines, and Assessment Levels

Problem based learning (PBL) in its most current form originated in Medical Education but has since been used in a variety of disciplines (Savery Gijbels, Dochy, Van den Bossche, Sugrue, 1993, 1995). Across 82 studies and 201 outcomes the findings favor PBL (d = 0.13, +/- .025) with a lack of homogeneity (Q = 954.27) that warrants a closer examination of moderating factors.