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. 2019 Mar;31(1):11-18.
doi: 10.3946/kjme.2019.114. Epub 2019 Mar 1.

Attitude towards problem-based learning and its relationship with locus of control and academic self-concept among medical students

Mona Mohamed Ibrahim Abdalla  1 , Mahmoud Said Abdelal  2 , Siew Choo Soon  1
Affiliations

Attitude towards problem-based learning and its relationship with locus of control and academic self-concept among medical students

Mona Mohamed Ibrahim Abdalla et al. Korean J Med Educ. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the degree of acceptance of problem-based learning (PBL) among phase one medical students and its association with academic self-concept (ASC) and internal locus of control (ILOC).

Methods: A 5-point Likert scale valid and reliable questionnaire assessing the attitude towards PBL, ASC, and ILOC was given to phase one medical students at MAHSA University. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS ver. 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA).

Results: Out of 255 participants, there were 84 males and 171 females, 175 Malaysians and 80 non-Malaysians. The results showed an overall acceptance of PBL with a mean of 3.7±0.07, ASC of 3.5±0.05 and ILOC of 2.9±0.05. Females showed a higher significant acceptance of PBL, ASC, and ILOC as compared with males. There was no difference between Malaysians and non-Malaysians in any of the variables measured. Simple regression analysis revealed a significant predictive effect of acceptance of PBL on ASC and ILOC (r=0.44 and r=0.88, respectively).

Conclusion: The higher the acceptance of PBL among students, the higher is the ASC and ILOC. This reflects the importance of PBL as a teaching method as well as the importance of increasing the level of appreciation of PBL amongst students.

Keywords: Academic self-concept; Academic success; Active learning; Internal-external; Problem-based learning.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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