Effects of team-based learning on problem-solving, knowledge and clinical performance of Korean nursing students

Team-based learning (TBL) has been used as a learner-centered teaching strategy in efforts to improve students' problem-solving, knowledge and practice performance. Although TBL has been used in nursing education in Korea for a decade, few studies have studied its effects on Korean nursing students' learning outcomes.

To examine the effects of TBL on problem-solving ability and learning outcomes (knowledge and clinical performance) of Korean nursing students.

Randomized controlled trial.

63 third-year undergraduate nursing students attending a single university were randomly assigned to the TBL group (n=32), or a control group (n=31).

The TBL and control groups attended 2h of class weekly for 3weeks. Three scenarios with pulmonary disease content were employed in both groups. However, the control group received lectures and traditional case study teaching/learning strategies instead of TBL. A questionnaire of problem-solving ability was administered at baseline, prior to students' exposure to the teaching strategies. Students' problem-solving ability, knowledge of pulmonary nursing care, and clinical performance were assessed following completion of the three-week pulmonary unit.

After the three-week educational interventions, the scores on problem-solving ability in the TBL group were significantly improved relative to that of the control group (t=10.89, p<.001). In addition, there were significant differences in knowledge, and in clinical performance with standardized patients between the two groups (t=2.48, p=.016, t=12.22, p<.001).

This study demonstrated that TBL is an effective teaching strategy to enhance problem-solving ability, knowledge and clinical performance. More research on other specific learning outcomes of TBL for nursing students is recommended.