Evaluation of the opinions and attitudes of Medical Faculty students about problem based learning

Objective: The PBL strategy is adopted and applied in Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine. This study aimed to develop a scale to determine opinions of the students about PBL sessions and then to investigate if any correlation exists between opinions and attitudes of the students. Method: We developed and validated a scale called "Problem-based Learning Student Opinion Scale" to determine student opinions on PBL. The scale consisted of three sub-dimensions which are "personal evoluation", "professional development" and "learning processes". In order to determine student attitudes on PBL, we used "Attitude Scale about Problem Based Learning" created by Turan and Demirel (2010). Results: A total of 569 students from the Pamukkale University faculty of medicine participated in the study (59.9% male, 40.1% female). In learning process dimension, the item receiving the highest mean score was "education is more efficient with experienced facilitators". The least score was belong to the item "facilitator ensures an objective assessment of learning". The highest scores were given to the items "develops my communication skills" and "provides information about my future professional life" in the "personal development" and the "professional development" dimensions respectively. The item with the least scores in these dimensions were "getting feedbacks improve me" and "enables me to learn about medical issues in depth". Student opinions on PBL were found to be significantly correlated to their attitudes towards PBL. Conclusion: Student appreciate the value of faciliators throughout the proces, contribution of PBL to their communication skills and motivator effect of the link between learning process and future professional life. Opininons and attitudes of the students about PBL are consistent with each other. Key words: Problem based learning, medical education, scale, student opinion, student attitude