Perceptions of first and third year medical students on self-study and reporting processes of problem-based learning

The questionnaire applied to the students consisted of; questions about students' perceptions on searching and preparing phases of the self-study process, the breadth and depth of discussion during reporting phase and the usage of learning resources.First-year students spent more time for self-study and more highly rated the depth of discussion compared to third-year students. The searching and preparing phases of the self-study process were considered as statistically important factors strongly influencing the breadth and depth of discussion during the reporting phase. The effect of extensiveness of searching on the depth of discussion was negative among the first-year students, and positive among third-year students.The relative shortness of third-year students' self-study periods can be related to their mental weariness, decreased motivation or first-year students' slowness in accessing appropriate resources. The third-year students' more frequent use of textbooks may be due to the improvement of their abilities in reaching relevant learning resources. The findings implied that the increase in students' PBL experience paralleled the development of their discussion skills using different learning resources.The institution of the present study, Dokuz Eylul University School of Medicine (DEUSM), has been implementing Problem-based Learning (PBL) in its undergraduate curriculum since the 1997–1998 academic year. The duration of undergraduate medical education is six years. PBL is the principal educational strategy in the first three years. Task-based learning strategy was adopted as an educational strategy for clerkships in the 2000–2001 academic year. During the first three years of undergraduate education, PBL sessions are the main focus of a modular structure.The three objectives of PBL are; acquisition of essential knowledge, use of knowledge in clinical contexts and self-directed learning [1]. In a PBL programme, the students use a seven-step procedure to struct