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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
Published on: September 11, 2021
On the additional value of lectures in a problem-based curriculum
Henk van Berkel1, Henk Schmidt
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. h.vanberkel@educ.unimaas.nl
Objective:
The purpose of this article is to report on a study conducted to investigate the additional value of lectures in problem-based learning. We hypothesized that lecture quality, as indicated by students, would have a positive influence on time students would spend on self-study, that they would increase intrinsic interest in subject matter and would have a positive influence on achievement. Lecture quality would, in this view, add to other factors that play a role in problem-based learning, such as prior knowledge of students, the quality of problems presented, the functioning of the tutor and small-group collaboration.
Method:
The hypothesis on the influence of lecture quality on learning was assessed by means of testing a structural equating model, using data from 1500 students.
Discussion And Conclusions:
We concluded that lecture quality does not affect time spent on study, does not add to achievement and does not influence intrinsic interest in subject matter. Post-hoc analysis, however, demonstrated the quality of lectures was related to other components of problem-based learning, not part of the presented model, such as students' perceptions of lectures as organizer of their study efforts or lectures as a means of putting the problems into a broader perspective.
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