Perceived Factors Impacting Teachers’ Pedagogical Decision-Making Pertaining to the Use of PBL in the Classroom: A Dissertation

There is a consistent body of research evidence citing the potential of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) as a viable instructional tool to raise student engagement with challenging content (Saye & Brush, 2017; Strutchens and Martin, 2017; Wynn, 2015). According to the National Council for the Social Studies, “The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world” (NCSS, accessed 2023, March 1, para. 2). Scholars like Engle (1960) called for instructional strategies that raised the decision-making capacity of students to prepare them for civic life. However, research has shown a prevalence of traditional textbook instruction in classrooms, despite the benefits that PBL affords (Brush and Saye, 2017; Ertmer et al., 2017). Potential barriers to PBL use are teacher workload and time as well as teacher stress and burnout. The theory of gatekeeping (Thornton, 1989) addresses the role of the teacher in instructional decision making and informs this study as teachers’ classroom content and delivery choices could impact the use of PBL. The purpose of this study is to look at potential factors impacting secondary history teachers’ pedagogical decision making pertaining to the use of PBL in their classrooms via an instrumental multiple case study. The proposed study is limited to factors influencing PBL as reported by secondary social studies teachers at my research site.