Impact of problem-based learning on the cognitive processes of medical students

The problem based learning (PBL) method was conceived as a teaching strategy to be applied in different areas or disciplines, thus several universities adopted it, among which was the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, best known as UNAM. The Faculty of Medicine of UNAM implemented this innovative teaching method of medicine for its learner-centered educational method tendency (patient-centered practice). This method develops also several abilities in the students, such as active and significant learning, seeking and data selection and autoanalysis and synthesis, knowledge integration of, mind's logic for the detection and solution of problems, among others. The aim was to evaluate the PBL impact on pedagogical and cognitive processes through the students' critical thinking and the significance of the experience on students and teachers which were working with PBL; in addition, study strategies and self-regulation in students were considered variables for the study Our findings indicated that PBL was perceived differently among students and teachers, and it influenced in a positive and significant way the students' perception to solve problems and their motivation to achieve a good academic performance (p < 0.005). These results suggest that PBL is a useful strategy in the teaching and learning process and it is clear that the pedagogical process and other variables can potentially influence the results obtained.