Effect of Problem-Based Learning on Communication Skills of Undergraduate Nursing Students

Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of Problem based Learning strategies on communication skills in pediatric nursing learning among undergraduate nursing students. Materials Methods: This quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group posttest-only design was conducted on undergraduate nursing students in Kohgiluyeh-Boyer Ahmad province. The sampling method was multistage cluster sampling. The total sample size was 95 in different classes of Traditional Problem Based Learning (TPBL=30), Hybrid Problem Based Learning (HPBL=30), and Conventional Teaching and Learning (COTL=35). The experiment was conducted over eight weeks, during which the participants met one two-hour session and two two-hour sessions each week. The three groups were compared for their communication skills at the end of the instruction. Data were collected using the Bayer-Fetzer Kalamazoo communication skill checklist and analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hock test. Findings: There was a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of communication skills for the three groups evaluated by the simulated patient (p=0.001) and the researcher (p=0.001). TPBL and HPBL instructional strategies enhanced students’ communication skills more than COTL. Conclusion: TPBL and HPBL instructional strategies are more effective than COTL, and PBL can be useful where there are shortages of instructors or faculty members to teach PBL groups in a large classroom setting.