The effectiveness of problem-based learning in developing problem-solving ability and improving the learning achievement of high school students in mathematics

Abstract

The research objectives were : 1) to compare the problem-solving ability of grade 11 students before and after learning using problem-based learning: (PBL), for the topic: basic graphs; 2) to compare the learning achievement of those students before and after learning using PBL, for the same topic, and 3) to study their level of satisfaction at learning using PBL. The Sample selected was 30 grade 11 students in class 4, in the 2017 academic year in the Demonstration School Prince of Songkla University using simple random sampling. The study was conducted over 12 periods, 50 minutes each period, using a group pretest - posttest design. The research instruments were a mathematics test on the topic of basic graph theory and a level of satisfaction questionnaire. The statistics used to analyze the data were percentages, means, standard deviations and independent samples t-tests.  The research found that 1) The mean level of problem solving ability of the sample for the topic of basic graph theory after PBL of was significantly higher than before at the .01 level 2) The learning achievement of the sample based on student grades for the topic of basic graph theory was significantly higher after PBL than before at the .01 level 3) The overall level of satisfaction for the topic of basic graph theory using PBL was at a mean level of 4.28 with a standard deviation of .57, indicating that the students were satisfied at the highest level. Further when considering individual aspects of their learning, the students were most satisfied with the learning activities (4.32) followed by the class atmosphere (4.31) with the lowest level being found for the benefits of learning (4.21).