Problem-based learning activities and students' performance in biology classes

Didactically designed problems and students' active search for solutions are features that distinguish problem-based instruction from other forms of instruction. The paper analyzes the activities carried out by students in classes with problem-based instruction. The aim of the research presented in this paper was to study the quality and implementation of problem-based learning activities in biology classes, and also to discover correlations between problem-based learning activities and students' performance. 565 eighth-grade students participated in the study. The descriptive-analytical method was used in the research, and data were collected using the scaling and testing techniques. The results indicate that the problem-based learning activities studied tended to be an integral part of the process of solving biology problems in problem-based classes. Positive correlations were found between the frequency and quality of implementation of problem-based learning activities and student performance.