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PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN PHYSICAL THERAPY EDUCATION: ASSESSING LEARNER'S DISPOSITIONS. Bevins T; Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL. tbevins@fgcu.edu. PURPOSE: Students making the transition from traditional lecture-based education into problem-based learning (PBL) curriculums may experience stress and frustration. This questionnaire is being developed to allow faculty to assess student disposition to participating in active and PBL activities. FOUNDATION: In a clinical practice atmosphere of increasing autonomy physical therapists must act as competent, evidence based practitioners; critical thinkers; problem solvers, active, self-directed learners; collaborative team players; and effective communicators. A curriculum design purported to better prepare students to become this type of professional, is the PBL curriculum model. However, not all students are well prepared to participate in this type of curriculum. DESCRIPTION: Initial content and face validity of items on the questionnaire are based on a qualitative historical review of the literature, and a focus group interview with students about their experience and attitudes about active learning. The major themes that come from the qualitative data analysis of these interviews were used to develop the items on the questionnaire. Peer debriefing and member checking were used to increase trustworthiness of the data analysis. The questionnaire items are statements about learning that are intended to elicit an attitudinal, scaled response of agreement. Items are paired, with one statement oriented to an active, PBL style of learning, and the other statement oriented to a contrasting passive, non-PBL style of learning. OBSERVATIONS: The questionnaire has been piloted on two groups of physical therapy students. Preliminary qualitative data indicates that the questionnaire measures disposition to problem-based learning. The number of participants in pilot testing is still too small for sophisticated, quantitative item analysis or reliability and validity studies. CONCLUSIONS: This questionnaire shows the potential to efficiently identify students in a PBL curriculum who have a low disposition to that style of learning. By identifying these students, faculty will be able to take initial steps at advising the students. Students can be more closely tutored in order to develop skills in active learning. This can lead to greater student success in the curriculum, and greater satisfaction for the students and faculty alike. This questionnaire is still at the preliminary pilot test stage, and additional research is essential in order to establish the reliability and validity of this instrument. FUNDING SOURCE: None.
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