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

Developing higher-order cognitive skills, particularly critical thinking and social problem-solving, is a central objective in pharmacy education and essential for patient-centered practice. Although problem-based learning (PBL) has been widely adopted to support such skills, most studies in pharmacy education have focused on single outcomes and have rarely examined the combined development of critical thinking and social problem-solving within authentic community pharmacy contexts. To examine changes in pharmacy students’ critical thinking disposition and social problem-solving skills associated with a semester-long PBL intervention, and to explore how students experience this learning process in relation to real-world practice scenarios. A quasi-experimental mixed-methods design with a pre-test–post-test control-group approach was employed. Final-year pharmacy students ( N = 65) enrolled in two pre-existing class sections of a management course at a single institution participated in this study. One class section received a 14-week problem-based learning (PBL) intervention based on authentic community pharmacy scenarios, while the other received conventional lecture-based instruction covering the same core content. Critical thinking disposition and social problem-solving were assessed at baseline and post-intervention using validated instruments. Quantitative data were analyzed using mixed-design analysis of variance, and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with students in the intervention group were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Quantitative findings indicated statistically significant improvements over time in both critical thinking disposition and social problem-solving scores. The time-by-group interactions indicated that the patterns of change differed between groups; however, the non-randomized design and baseline differences in critical thinking disposition limited direct between-group comparisons. Qualitative findings showed that students experienced PBL as an active, experience-based learning process that increased engagement, supported the transfer of theoretical knowledge to community pharmacy practice, and fostered more systematic and multifaceted approaches to problem-solving. A structured, semester-long PBL intervention grounded in community pharmacy scenarios was associated with improvements in critical thinking disposition and social problem-solving among undergraduate pharmacy students. These findings should be interpreted cautiously because the non-randomized design and baseline group differences limit causal and between-group comparative inferences. Nevertheless, students’ accounts suggest that PBL may support engagement with authentic practice scenarios and the development of problem-solving approaches relevant to patient counselling, decision-making, and practice readiness. Further studies using larger and more comparable groups are needed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of PBL in pharmacy curricula.