ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1565556
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Teaching and Learning in Health Education and PromotionView all 31 articles
The effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) in enhancing critical thinking skills in medical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Medicine, Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong Province, China
- 2Department of physiology, College of Medicine, Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong Province, China
- 3Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong Province, China
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Background: Problem-based learning (PBL) has emerged as a transformative educational strategy aimed at enhancing critical thinking in medical education. While some studies suggest PBL significantly improves critical thinking skills, others show minimal differences compared to traditional teaching methods. This study aims to synthesize existing research to assess the overall effectiveness of PBL in enhancing critical thinking skills in medical education. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and FMRS databases. Studies included were comparative, involving medical students, with a PBL intervention group and a conventional method control group, and assessed critical thinking skills. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers, using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for RCTs and the ROBINS-I tool for non-randomized studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager version 5.3, employing random-effect models due to high heterogeneity. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots, Egger's regression, and Begg's test. Results: Eleven studies involving 14 to 267 students from various countries were included. The aggregated effect size for PBL versus conventional methods showed a significant improvement in critical thinking skills. Comparison of pre-and post-PBL critical thinking scores also indicated significant improvement post-PBL. Publication bias was assessed and found to be minimal. Conclusion: PBL is significantly more effective than conventional teaching methods in enhancing critical thinking skills among medical students. These findings support the integration of PBL into medical curricula to foster critical thinking skills crucial, which are crucial for clinical practice.
Keywords: Jing Liu, Lingzhu Xie Supervision: Lingzhu Xie Validation: Lingzhu Xie Writing -original draft: Lingzhu Xie Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Medical Education, Critical Thinking, Meta-analysis, higher education
Received: 23 Jan 2025; Accepted: 19 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Su, Liu, Meng, Luo, Ke and Xie. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lingzhu Xie, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Medicine, Shantou University, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong Province, China
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