Comparing the Effects of Pure Problem-Based Learning and Hybrid Problem-Based Learning on Metacognitive Awareness in Nursing Students

Aims: Nursing students should be equipped with higher thinking strategies such as metacognitive and lifelong learning skills to make correct decisions in new situations. This study was conducted to compare the effect of different problem-based learning methods on metacognitive skills in nursing students. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design, the subjects were undergraduate students enrolled in the Pediatric Nursing II course at Islamic Azad University in Iran. Ninety-five nursing students were selected by multistage cluster sampling method and divided into Pure Problem-Based Learning (n=30), Hybrid Problem-Based Learning (n=30), and Lecture-Based Method (n=35). The intervention was conducted for eight weeks, during which the participants met once a week. Data were collected using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory before and after each instructional method and analyzed in SPSS 17 software using the ANCOVA. Findings: A statistically significant difference was observed between the mean scores of overall metacognitive awareness for Pure Problem-Based Learning, Hybrid Problem-Based Learning, and Lecture-Based Method groups (p 0.01) and its sub-scales of knowledge of cognition and regulation of cognition (p 0.001) on the posttest. The mean score of metacognitive awareness for the Lecture-Based Method group was significantly lower than those of the Pure Problem-Based Learning and Hybrid Problem-Based Learning groups (p 0.05). Conclusion: Both Pure Problem-Based Learning and Hybrid Problem-Based Learning effectively enhance metacognitive skills in nursing students.