Investigating Teacher Pedagogical Changes When Implementing Problem-Based Learning in a Year 5 Mathematics Classroom in Taiwan

• Published in: The Asia-Pacific education researcher 2018-10, Vol.27 (5), p.355-364
• Main Authors: Li, Hui-Chuan, Tsai, Tsung-Lung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Education; Educational Policy and Politics; Elementary School Mathematics; Elementary School Teachers; Foreign Countries; Grade 5; International and Comparative Education; Learning and Instruction; Mathematics Instruction; Pedagogy; Primary Education; Problem Based Learning; Regular Article; Sociology of Education; Teachers; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0119-5646; 2243-7908
• DOI: 10.1007/s40299-018-0393-2

Over the recent decades, much empirical evidence has shown the benefits of problem-based learning (PBL) over traditional teacher-centred pedagogy. However, research on problem-based learning (PBL) has focused more on students’ learning outcomes and less on what it might take for teachers to implement it, especially in primary school and in education systems such as Taiwan, where its principles deviate from customary practice. Issues concerning how PBL, which initially derived from the adult medical education field, can be applied to primary education, remain poorly understood. This study examines what was involved for a teacher while she implemented a 1-year PBL intervention in a year 5 (ages 10–11) mathematics classroom in Taiwan. On the basis of the evidence in this paper, we provide a realistic account of the teacher’s pedagogical practice and how she changed, or further developed her pedagogies in order to adapt to PBL. The findings from our study brought important messages for teachers and educators when implementing PBL at primary education level. With a focus on the teacher’s pedagogical changes, implications for primary teachers when implementing PBL are discussed.