Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) for Teaching-Learning Biostatistics using MS-Excel among Undergraduate Dental Students in Saudi Arabia: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: Although the traditional teaching technique (TTT) is a universally adopted education and learning method in the medical field, it has limited prospects in terms of student interaction. Therefore; the PBL method of teaching and learning emerges which focuses on self-learning by problem-solving to acquire knowledge.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) for Teaching-Learning Biostatistics using MS-Excel among Undergraduate Dental Students in Saudi Arabia.

Methodology: A total of seventy-four students were included in this study after taking an oral consent. A 20-item questionnaire assessing the student’s knowledge and skills on biostatistics was developed. The undergraduate students attending the community dentistry course were academically divided into two groups for the practical session. Each group attended the practical session on two separate days. The same groups were randomly assigned as Theory Group (TH) and Problem Based Learning Group (PBL) with 36 and 38 students respectively.

Results: The assessment of participants' self-rating VAS score on their knowledge and skills with MS-Excel had the highest mean difference scores in the PBL group (4.7 and 4.8 respectively). The mean knowledge scores after the intervention were significantly higher than the mean scores before intervention in both TH and PBL groups (p<0.05). However, the mean difference in the knowledge scores was high in the PBL group.

Conclusion: PBL method was found to be an effective way of delivering statistics knowledge in medical education in comparison to the conventional didactic method. The assessment records of this study established that PBL has an explicit benefit for learner with accurate recall, improvement of logical and decisive thinking and problem-solving expertise.