Inspiring Student Motivation and Critical Thinking in Composition Pedagogy:

By Celena Todora

An Analysis of Effective Structural Elements of

Problem-Based Learning

A special thanks to Dr. Taggart

Preview•Overview of Problem-Based Learning (PBL)• Relevance to Composition Instruction• Research Questions•Methodology• Analysis• Conclusion

Overview: What is PBL?• 1969 -- McMaster University

medical school in Canada (Lee and Kwan 149).

• Originally solely practiced in the medical field.

• Students are presented with an “ill-structured” problem (Jonassen 65).

• Collaborative

• Students analyze problem and collect necessary data to provide a solution.

• Teacher is the facilitator (Kilroy 412).

Image source: John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Example“A patient [is] complaining of haemoptysis and chest pains. He is usually fit and well but smokes heavily. He is accompanied by his two teenage children. The family are Jehovah’s Witnesses. How will you deal with the issues this patient’s attendance raises?” (Kilroy 411).

Image source: VIVA Africa, Pearl Richards Foundation

Relevance to Composition Instruction

• Problem examples

•Motivation

• Critical thinking

• Real-world rhetorical situations

• Research

Image source: Rod Maclean (Just Kidding Cartoons)(Chapman, Kumar and Refai, Rosinski and Peeples, Sapp, Smart, and Stefianak)

Goals and Outcomes of PBL

•Motivation

• Critical Thinking

• Inconclusive findings

Research Questions•Can PBL strengthen composition classrooms by increasing student motivation and critical-thinking skills?

•What structural elements of a PBL environment produce more effective results?

•How can these effective elements strengthen PBL in composition instruction?

Methodology

•Analysis of previous PBL research

Analyzed the relationships between:Choice and problem designMotivating and controlling elementsGuidance and competence

Analysis: Choice and Problem Design

Choice Problem Design

• Choice increases motivation

• Student evaluations

• Collaborative• Problem must not be

too difficult• Problem must be

new to students• Must not be too

vague

(Chapman, Hmelo-Silver et al., Jonassen, Karantzas, et al., Kumar and Refai, Patall et al., Rosinski and Peeples, Sapp, Smart, and Wijnia et al.)

Analysis: Motivation and Controlling Elements

Motivation Controlling Elements

• Choice/interest in topic

• Choice/freedom in environment

• Competence• Accountability (Wijnia et

al.)

• Attendance• “You must” or “You

need to” (Wijnia et al.)

• Pressure to perform tasks that students do not feel competent in

(Kirschner et al., Hmelo-Silver et al., Patall et al., Wijnia et al.)

Guidance Competence

• Students want more guidance

• Scaffolding• Too much

guidance lessens critical thinking

• Heavy cognitive load

• Uneducated decisions

Analysis: Guidance and Competence

Conclusion

•Choice and problem design•Motivating and controlling elements•Guidance and competence

• Incorporate choice and freedom•Weekly check-ins

•Future research

Can PBL increase student motivation and critical thinking in composition classrooms?

Works CitedChapman, David W. “Words That Make a Difference: Problem-Based Learning in Communication Arts Courses.” Journal of

General Education 51.4 (2002): 257-71. Project MUSE. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. Hmelo-Silver, Cindy E., R.G. Duncan, and C.A. Chinn. “Scaffolding and Achievement in Problem-Based and Inquiry Learning: A

Response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006).” Educational Psychologist 42.2 (2007): 99-107. Hung, Woei. “Theory to Reality: A Few Issues in Implementing Problem-Based Learning.” Educational Technology Research and

Development. 59.4 (2011): 529-52. Print. Jonassen, David H. “Instructional Design Models for Well-Structured and Ill-Structured Problem-Solving Learning Outcomes.”

Educational Technology Research and Development 45.1 (1997): 65-94.  Jonassen, David H. and Woei Hung. “All Problems Are Not Equal: Implications for Problem-Based Learning.” The Interdisciplinary

Journal of Problem-Based Learning  Karantzas, Gery C., Michelle R. Avery, Susie Macfarlane, Alexander Mussap, Gregory Tooley, Zoe Hazelwood, and Julie Fitness.

“Enhancing Critical Analysis and Problem-Solving Skills in Undergraduate Psychology: An Evaluation of a Collaborative Learning and Problem-Based Learning Approach.” Australian Journal of Psychology 65 (2013): 38–45. Print.

Kilroy, D. H. “Problem Based Learning.” Emergency Management Journal 21 (2004): 411-13. Print. Kirschner, Paul A., John Sweller, and Richard E. Clark. “Why Minimal Guidance during Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of

the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching.” Educational Psychologist 41.2 (2006): 75-86. Print.

  

Works Cited Cont’dKumar, Rita, and Brenda Refaei. “Designing a Problem-Based Learning Intermediate Composition Course.” College Teaching 61.2

(2013): 67–73. Print.

Lee, Robert and Chiu-Yin Kwan. “The Use of Problem-Based Learning in Medical Education.” Journal of Medical Education 1.2 (1997): 149-157. Print

 Patall, Erika, Breana Sylvester, and Cheon-Woo Han. “The Role of Competence in the Effects of Choice on Motivation.” Journal of

Experimental Social Psychology 50 (2014): 27–44. Print.

Rosinski, Paula, and Tim Peeples. “Forging Rhetorical Subjects: Problem-Based Learning in the Writing Classroom.” Composition Studies 40.2 (2012): 9-32. ERIC. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

 Sapp, David Allen. “Problem-Based Learning in the First-Year Composition Classroom: Two Cases.” Ed. Mary Sue Baldwin. PBL Insight

5.1 (2002): 6-7. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. Smart, Karl L., Nancy Hicks, and James Melton. “Using Problem-Based Scenarios to Teach Writing.” Business Communication Quarterly

76.1 (2013): 72-81. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. Stefaniak, Jennifer J. “A Problem-Based Learning Approach to First-Year Composition.” Louisiana English Journal 13 (2010): 50–6. Print. Wijnia, Lisette, Sofie M. M. Loyens, and Eva Derous. “Investigating Effects of Problem-Based Versus Lecture-Based Learning

Environments on Student Motivation.” Contemporary Educational Psychology 36.2 (2011): 101–13. Print.  

Thank you!