You are here:

Problem-Based Learning and Self-Efficacy: How a Capstone Course Prepares Students for a Profession
ARTICLE

Educational Technology Research and Development Volume 53, Number 1, ISSN 1042-1629

Abstract

Problem-based learning (PBL) is apprenticeship for real-life problem solving, helping students acquire the knowledge and skills required in the workplace. Although the acquisition of knowledge and skills makes it possible for performance to occur, without self-efficacy the performance may not even be attempted. I examined how student self-efficacy, as it relates to being software development professionals, changed while involved in a PBL environment. Thirty-one undergraduate university computer science students completed a 16-week capstone course in software engineering during their final semester prior to graduation. Specific instructional strategies used in PBL--namely the use of authentic problems of practice, collaboration, and reflection--are presented as the catalyst for students' improved self-efficacy. Using a self-efficacy scale as pre- and post-measures, and guided journal entries as process data, students were observed to increase their levels of self-efficacy.

Citation

Dunlap, J.C. (2005). Problem-Based Learning and Self-Efficacy: How a Capstone Course Prepares Students for a Profession. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(1), 65-85. Retrieved August 5, 2024 from .

This record was imported from ERIC on April 18, 2013. [Original Record]

ERIC is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education.

Copyright for this record is held by the content creator. For more details see ERIC's copyright policy.

Keywords

Cited By

View References & Citations Map

These links are based on references which have been extracted automatically and may have some errors. If you see a mistake, please contact info@learntechlib.org.