Skip to main content
Log in

Complex Interactions Between Tutor Performance, Tutorial Group Productivity and the Effectiveness of PBL Units as Perceived by Students

  • Published:
Advances in Health Sciences Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aim: Tutor performance and tutorial group productivity interact with each other in a complex manner. The aim of this study was to investigate how tutor performance, tutorial group productivity and the effectiveness of a PBL unit interact with each other. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) Does the tutor performance score differ across different levels of group productivity? (2) Does the group productivity score differ across different levels of tutor performance? and (3) Is the learning effectiveness score of a PBL unit related to tutor performance and group productivity? Method: Students rated the tutor performance, the tutorial group productivity and the effectiveness of the PBL unit. In total 287 unique tutors were involved and were categorized as having a relatively low, average or relatively high score on tutor performance. This was also done for the group productivity score. For each combination, average effectiveness score were computed. Furthermore, partial correlation coefficients were computed. Results: The results demonstrated that the average tutor performance score was higher if the productivity score was higher (hypothesis 1). The results also demonstrated that the average productivity score was higher if the tutor performance score was higher (hypothesis 2). Furthermore it was found that the effectiveness score was higher if the productivity score was higher. The effectiveness score was also higher if the tutor score was higher. The results furthermore demonstrated that the correlation coefficient between tutor performance and effectiveness of the PBL unit is 0.01 (n.s.) if the correlation between the two variables was controlled for group productivity (was 0.36). In addition, the correlation coefficient between group productivity and effectiveness became 0.39 if the correlation between these two variables was controlled for tutor performance (was 0.51) (hypothesis 3). Conclusion: It is concluded that tutor performance differs across different levels of group productivity and that the group productivity score differs across different levels of tutor performance. In addition, it is concluded that both group productivity and the tutor’s performance have an impact on the effectiveness of a PBL unit, although the correlation between group productivity and effectiveness is higher than the correlation between tutor performance and effectiveness. This finding illustrates the importance of the group’s productivity in PBL and the tutor’s importance and implies that schools should put more efforts in improving tutorial group functioning as well as in improving a tutor’s performance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • D.C. Berliner (2002) ArticleTitleEducational research: The hardest science of all Educational Researcher 31 IssueID8 18–20

    Google Scholar 

  • O. Cate ten L. Snell K. Mann J Vermunt (2004) ArticleTitleOrienting teaching toward the learning process Academic Medicine 79 IssueID3 219–228 Occurrence Handle10.1097/00001888-200403000-00005 Occurrence Handle14985194

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • D.H.J.M. Dolmans H.A.P. Wolfhagen H.G Schmidt (1996) ArticleTitleEffects of tutor expertise on student performance in relation to prior knowledge and level of curricular structure Academic Medicine 71 IssueID9 1008–1011 Occurrence Handle9125990

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • D.H.J.M. Dolmans H.A.P. Wolfhagen C.P.M Vleuten Particlevan der (1998) ArticleTitleMotivational and cognitive processes influencing tutorial groups Academic Medicine 73 IssueID8 S22–S24 Occurrence Handle9795641

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • D.H.J.M. Dolmans I.H.A.P. Wolfhagen R.J.I. Hoogenboom C.P.M Vleuten Particlevan der (1999) ArticleTitleIs tutor performance dependent on the tutorial group’s productivity? Toward further resolving of inconsistencies in tutor performance Teaching and Learning in Medicine 11 IssueID4 186–191 Occurrence Handle10.1207/S15328015TLM110401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D.H.J.M. Dolmans H.A.P. Wolfhagen A.J.J.A. Scherpbier C.P.M Vleuten Particlevan der (2001) ArticleTitleRelationship of tutors’ group-dynamics skills to their performance ratings in problem-based learning Academic Medicine 76 IssueID5 473–76 Occurrence Handle11346526

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • D.H.J.M. Dolmans H.A.P. Wolfhagen A.J.J.A. Scherpbier C.P.M Vleuten Particlevan der (2003) ArticleTitleDevelopment of an instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of teachers in guiding small groups Higher Education 46 431–446 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1027388806218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolmans D.H.J.M. & Ginns P. (in press). A short questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness of tutors in PBL: Validity and reliability. Medical Teacher.

  • H.G. Schmidt (1994) ArticleTitleResolving inconsistencies in tutor expertise research: does lack of structure cause students to seek tutor guidance? Academic Medicine 69 IssueID8 656–662 Occurrence Handle8054115

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • J.D. Vermunt N Verloop (1999) ArticleTitleCongruence and friction between learning and teaching Learning and Instruction 9 257–280 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0959-4752(98)00028-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diana H.J.M. Dolmans.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dolmans, D.H., Wolfhagen, I.H. Complex Interactions Between Tutor Performance, Tutorial Group Productivity and the Effectiveness of PBL Units as Perceived by Students. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract 10, 253–261 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-005-0665-5

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-005-0665-5

Key words

Navigation