Analysis of the social interaction of perceived problem-based learning performance in internship courses

Background This study aims to integrate the theories of social presence and social identity to examine the effectiveness of group-based problem-based learning (PBL) in learning communities. Social presence is a critical factor in determining the success of collaborative learning in group-based PBL activities. Although several studies have investigated the effects of using self-directed and collaborative learning, they present weak evidence within those studies to explain the impact of social interaction on perceived PBL performance in nursing internship programs. Objectives This study develops a second-order formative model to examine the relationship between social presence, trust, social identification and students' perceived PBL performance. Methods The partial least squares technique is used to analyse data from 409 nursing interns who studied at seven medical universities or nursing colleges. Results and Conclusions The results indicate that all hypotheses are supported, which is an underaddressed topic in the nursing internship education literature. Notably, the findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of the interns' perceived PBL performance during the internship.