PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING - COGNITIVE AND METACOGNITIVE PROCESSES DURINGPROBLEM ANALYSIS

An important phase of problem-based learning in a tutorial group is pr oblem analysis, This article describes a study investigating the ongoi ng cognitive and metacognitive processes during problem analysis, by a nalysing the verbal communication among group members, and their think ing processes, Thinking processes were tapped by means of a stimulated recall procedure. Verbatim transcripts of both the verbal interaction in the group and the recall protocols were analysed. The goal of this research is two-fold, i.e., to investigate whether PBL indeed leads t o conceptual change and to develop a method that is sensitive to these phenomena. The results suggest that the verbal interaction in a group shows only the tip of the iceberg of the cognitive and metacognitive processes on which it is based. The verbal interaction in the small gr oup discussion mainly concerned theory building, and to a lesser exten t, data exploration and meta-reasoning. Stimulated recall of the think ing process during that discusion, however, provides more and unique i nformation about hypothesis evaluation and meta-reasoning. In the prot ocols of stimulated recall, the process of conceptual change by studen ts could be made visible. The ways of dealing with anomalous data coul d be described as well as the conditions that determine how students d eal with anomalous data. These results suggest that the method was sen sitive for detecting conceptual change during problem analysis.