Problem-based course linked to improved pharmacy student problem-solving

A semester-long problem-based learning intervention was associated with improvements in critical thinking disposition and social problem-solving among 65 final-year pharmacy students at a single institution. The quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study found statistically significant improvements over time in both measured outcomes. Patterns of change differed between the intervention and comparison groups, but the non-randomized design and baseline differences in critical thinking disposition prevented the researchers from drawing direct causal or comparative conclusions about problem-based learning.

Participants were enrolled in two pre-existing sections of a management course. One section received a 14-week problem-based learning intervention based on authentic community pharmacy scenarios, while the other received conventional lecture-based instruction covering the same core content. The researchers assessed critical thinking disposition and social problem-solving at baseline and after the intervention using validated instruments. Quantitative data were examined with mixed-design analysis of variance, which accounted for change over time and the interaction between time and group. The study did not randomly allocate students, and the groups were not equivalent at baseline on the critical thinking disposition measure, limiting interpretation of the between-group pattern.

The researchers also conducted semi-structured interviews with students in the intervention group and analyzed the accounts using reflexive thematic analysis. Students described problem-based learning as an active, experience-based process that increased their engagement and supported the transfer of theoretical knowledge to community pharmacy practice. They also reported developing more systematic and multifaceted approaches to problem-solving. These accounts provided qualitative context for the pre-test and post-test results, but they did not establish that the teaching method alone produced the measured improvements. The authors characterized the quantitative findings as an association between the structured intervention and gains in critical thinking disposition and social problem-solving.

The study’s scope was limited to a modest sample of final-year students in two intact class sections at one institution, and its findings were confined to a semester-long management course and authentic community pharmacy scenarios. The researchers said larger studies with more comparable groups are needed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of problem-based learning in pharmacy curricula. Within those limits, the combined results suggest that a sustained, scenario-based course may engage students and help them connect classroom knowledge with problem-solving in community pharmacy contexts. The authors associated these experiences with areas relevant to patient counselling, decision-making and practice readiness, while emphasizing that the study does not demonstrate improved patient outcomes or prove that problem-based learning was superior to conventional instruction.

Subject of Research: A mixed-methods study of problem-based learning and pharmacy students’ critical thinking and social problem-solving

Article Title: Enhancing critical thinking and social problem-solving through problem-based learning: a mixed-methods study among pharmacy students

Article References: Ulutas Deniz, E., & Kürüm, F. A. (2026). Enhancing critical thinking and social problem-solving through problem-based learning: a mixed-methods study among pharmacy students. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10420-6

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10420-6

Keywords: pharmacy education, problem-based learning, critical thinking, social problem-solving, community pharmacy, mixed-methods research, student engagement, quasi-experimental study, Enhancing, critical, thinking, social