Enhancing and impeding factors of problem-based learning in undergraduate medical education: A qualitative study

Background & Objective: With student-centered teaching-learning making the forefront in medical education, this qualitative study was set out to investigate the perceptions of students on the factors that enable or impede the outcome achievement of problem-based method of teaching-learning. Materials & Methods: Ten students embarking their year 2 Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) study in a private university in Malaysia agreed to participate in this study. The students were subjected to semi-structured, in-depth, one-to-one interviews following their consent. The interview protocol was prepared following guidelines, objectives of the study and from the available literature. The data thus collected was subjected to thematic analysis using NVivo. Results: Analysis revealed emergence of codes such as student characteristics and perception, facilitators, team factors, content and conduct of problem-based learning. These codes were then collapsed into themes. The major themes or factors that enabled or impeded the outcomes of PBL were student factors, facilitator factors and factors related to the learning environment. Conclusion: The study concluded that among the various factors that enable or impede PBL teaching-learning method, there are pros and cons among the student, facilitators and learning environment that may facilitate or impede the realisation of PBL outcomes. This study would shed light into the students’ perception of PBL and enable facilitators to ensure that PBLs are student-friendly.