{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T13:59:55Z","timestamp":1760623195071,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,11]],"date-time":"2021-04-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1618099200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Geosciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>We aimed to contribute to a shift in higher education teaching and learning methods by considering problem-based learning (PBL) as an approach capable of positively affecting students from a geology and environment (GE) curricular unit. In a convenience sample from a Portuguese public university, two groups of students were defined: (1) an experimental group (n = 16), to which an intervention program (IP) based on PBL was applied, and (2) a comparison group (n = 17), subjected to the traditional teaching approach. For nine weeks, students subject to the IP faced four problem scenarios about different themes. A triangulation of methods was chosen. The study involved two phases: (1) qualitative (sustained on content analysis of driving questions raised by students, registered in a monitoring sheet) and (2) quantitative (quasi-experimental study, based on data from a prior and post-test knowledge assessment). The qualitative results point to the development of more complex cognitive-level questioning skills after increasing familiarity with PBL. The data obtained in the quantitative study, which included both a \u201cwithin-subjects\u201d and a \u201cbetween-subjects\u201d design, show higher benefits in the experimental group, documenting gains in terms of scientific knowledge when using the PBL methodology.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/geosciences11040173","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,12]],"date-time":"2021-04-12T03:04:06Z","timestamp":1618196646000},"page":"173","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Geology and Environment: A Problem-Based Learning Study in Higher Education"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0899-6060","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"T\u00e2nia","family":"Pinto","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ant\u00f3nio Guerner","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s\/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4524-9788","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Clara","family":"Vasconcelos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Science Teaching Unit &amp; Department of Geosciences, Environment and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre s\/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,4,11]]},"reference":[{"unstructured":"Lopes, A., Cavalcante, M., Oliveira, D., and Hyp\u00f3lito, A. 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