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Problem - Based Learning 177
in change activities at the beginning of the investigation moved to a different behavior
or they relapsed back to stages 1 or 2 and different individuals moved into or beyond
stage 3. A retrospective assessment of respondents, within these two groups, indicated
that of the participants initially at or beyond stage 3, 53.8 percent engaged with problem
- based learning and 66.7 percent involved with distance learning remained committed
to lifestyle change but altered the focus of their individual efforts. These results,
while not as desirable as an ongoing commitment to a singular behavioral alteration,
are consistent with the cyclic nature of the “ stage of change ” process (Robbins et al.,
1997). However, they do raise concerns about the effectiveness of these instructional
strategies in promoting sustainable change.
CONCLUSIONS
Within the limits of this investigation, the following conclusion seems justified.
Problem - based learning and lecture recitation appear to offer statistically superior
methodological approaches to distance learning instructional strategies in promoting
movement away from the “ precontemplation ” and “ contemplation ” phase of the “ stage
of change ” continuum. However, with the presence of several potentially confounding
factors, additional investigation is necessary to further evaluate and/or confirm the
effectiveness of both these methodologies on initiating sustainable behavioral
alterations.
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