PBL With Computer-Enhanced Technique on Health Knowledge and Attitude

Purpose

One way to define a successful physical education program is that after participating in the program, the students will be motivated to change their behavior by incorporating their new knowledge to achieve better health status and improved outcomes. Unfortunately, the most commonly utilized method of physical education in Taiwan, the traditional lecture, has been proven not to be effective in changing student's healthy behavior. The aim of the present study was to incorporate the problem based learning strategy with computer enhances technique into high school's student's physical education class.

Methods

Four intact classes with one hundred and sixty-seven high school students (n=167) from two separate schools participated in this study. Two classes randomly selected as a problem-based learning strategy with computer enhance technique group (n=83). Two classes designed as a problem-based learning strategy group (n=84). Both groups were received the intervention for 10 weeks. Both groups were met twice a week and each class received fifty minutes lesson. The health content knowledge and learning attitude assessment were used as instruments in this study. All students took assessment in the beginning of the study and in the end of the study and 4 weeks after the study.

Analysis/Results

The repeated measure and 2*3 ANOVA (groups * tests) were used to analysis all the data. After carefully examined the data, the results of this study were as following: a). there was a significantly health content knowledge and learning attitude improved in pre, post and follow-up test in the problem based learning strategy with computer enhances technique group. b). there was a significantly health content knowledge and learning attitude enhanced in pre, post and follow-up test in the problem based learning strategy group. c). By comparison both groups, it was founded the students in the problem based learning strategy with computer enhances technique group had higher scores than the problem based learning strategy group on the health content knowledge and learning attitude in the post-test and follow-up test.

Conclusions

In this study it was showed that the both strategies can help to improve health content knowledge and learning attitude for students. But the problem based learning strategy with computer enhance technique was better than problem based learning strategy. The goal of this program was to facilitate students' reflection regarding the possible causes of behavior problems, increase health content knowledge, and learning attitude. The program has been shown to be one effective way to reach those goals.