Tracking the Evolution of the Knowledge Base on Problem-based Learning: A Bibliometric Review, 1972-2019

Abstract

The current review employed bibliometric review methods to analyze 14,130 Scopus-indexed documents on problem-based learning published from 1972 through the end of 2019. The goals of the review were to describe the landscape and analyze the evolution of topical foci of interdisciplinary research on PBL over the past five decades. The review identified the accumulation of a substantial interdisciplinary corpus of research on PBL that is significantly larger than the literature on other approaches to active learning. The growth trajectory of the literature on PBL started out “low and flat” during the 1970s and 1980s but steadily gained momentum in subsequent decades, with 58% of the PBL literature published between 2010 and 2019. PBL has achieved an impressive scope of global research over the past 45 years, with a significant number of studies published from emerging regions of the world, especially during the past decade. While a long-term body of research has accumulated on the learning outcomes of PBL, the research front has begun to shift towards the study of self-directed learning, student satisfaction, self-efficacy, critical thinking, and cooperation. Research and practice challenges identified in the review focus on establishing the scope of use and efficacy of PBL across different cultural contexts and more systematically summarizing and synthesizing the use of PBL outside of the health professions.

A Keyword Co-Occurrence Analysis of Research on Service Learning: Conceptual Foci and Emerging Research Trends

“…These thematic foci have gained the sustained attention of scholars studying service learning. Similar thematic strands have been identified in bibliometric reviews of the literature on problem-based learning [59] and simulations and serious games [10]. This is notable in that each of these methods of active learning has maintained the sustained attention of educational practitioners over a period spanning six or more decades.…”

“…Table 1 shows that the 20 top-cited service learning documents featured a range from 134 to 761 Scopus citations. This magnitude of Scopus citation impact is significantly smaller than was previously reported in reviews of research on problem-based learning [59] and simulations and games [10]. More specifically, comparable analyses of the 20 top-cited documents identified a range of 461 to 4118 citations in the literature on problem-based learning [59] and 271 to 1653 citations for the 20 top-cited documents on simulations and games [10].…”

“…Our analysis found a clear trend toward the integration of service learning and problem-based learning over the past decade. Key elements of problem-based learning include a problem-driven focus for learning, the introduction of theory after considering the problem situation, the use of cooperative teams, and the active resolution of the problem [59,127,132]. The use of service learning in concert with elements of problembased and project-based learning could be a response to increased pressure for higher education institutions to equip students with 21st-century skills [153,154].…”

“…Bibliometric review methods have been widely used to model the evolution of concepts and identify topics studied in a field of inquiry [52,58]. For example, bibliometric reviews have tracked the development of research on simulation-based learning [10] and problem-based learning [59], as well as broader sub-fields, such as education for sustainable development [60] and educational leadership and management [61]. Thus, this approach to research review was deemed suitable for the goal of analyzing conceptual and topical trends in the full literature on service learning.…”

Implementation of the Problem Based Learning Model in Science Education: Trend and Opportunity of Research Using Systematic Literature Network Analysis

“…In reviewing research on PBL, most of the research focuses on the effectiveness of PBL implementation (Shishigu et al, 2018), PBL implementation problems (Fadillah et al, 2019) such as perceptions students, tutor role, group processing skills and learning PBL problem design. The evolution of the knowledge base in problembased learning based on bibliometric results conducted by Hallinger (2021) shows that publications about PBL have continued to increase over the past ten years (2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019), and most of them have been implemented in the medical/health education sector. The bibliometric results also show that PBL research is starting to shift towards learning student satisfaction, self-directed learning, self-efficacy, collaboration, and critical thinking.…”