Effectiveness of a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Scenario for Enhancing Academic Achievement of Energy Metabolism

This research investigated the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) for the topic of energy metabolism in a biochemistry course on the academic achievements of students studying in the healthcare field in a nursing department. The study had a one-group pre-test and post-test research design. The study group consisted of first-year students studying at the Department of Nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Bulent Ecevit University (N = 210). The scenario, entitled “Emre’s Sports Life: Is It True or False? You Decide!” and consisting of five educational sessions was developed and implemented after taking into account the opinions of two biochemistry and pedagogical experts. The “Energy Metabolism Achievement Test” (EMAT) and a structured interview form were used as data collection tools. The content analysis of the EMAT post-test indicated that PBL increased students’ responses in the sound and partial understanding categories and the Wilcoxon signed rank test result revealed that there was a significant difference between EMAT pre- and post-test scores in favor of post-test scores (z = − 12.567, p < .05). In addition, content analysis of the structured interview indicated that the majority of students expressed positive opinions about the PBL approach, including that it was memorable, interesting, and related to daily life.