IJIET 2026 Vol.16(5): 1397-1405
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.5.2606
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.5.2606
Blended Problem-Based Learning for Enhancing COVID-19-Related Scientific Understanding and Critical Thinking in Thai Secondary School Students
Theethawat Praputpittaya1, Pratchayapong Yasri2, and Pirom Chenprakhon1,*
1. Institute for Innovative Learning, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
2. Faculty of Science, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
Email: ttw.pra@gmail.com (T.P.); Pratchayapong@gmail.com (P.Y.); pirom.che@mahidol.ac.th (P.C.)
*Corresponding author
2. Faculty of Science, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
Email: ttw.pra@gmail.com (T.P.); Pratchayapong@gmail.com (P.Y.); pirom.che@mahidol.ac.th (P.C.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received October 10, 2025; revised November 13, 2025; accepted December 22, 2025; published May 22, 2026
Abstract—The COVID-19 pandemic revealed substantial gaps in students’ pandemic literacy and created a need for more resilient science education approaches. This study investigated the effectiveness of a four-stage blended Problem-Based Learning (PBL) module on COVID-19 sciences for enhancing conceptual understanding and critical thinking among 133 Thai secondary school students aged 13–15 years. The intervention combined structured online foundational learning through Google Classroom with collaborative hands-on construction of alcohol-based sanitiser dispensers. A quasi-experimental repeated-measures design was used across four assessment points (pre-test, mid-test, post-test, and one-week retention). Conceptual understanding was measured through a 36-item COVID-19, Sanitiser, and Dispenser Conceptual Test (CovSD-CT), while critical thinking was assessed using a rubric across three reasoning dimensions: Purpose, Mechanism, and Context. Mean (M) conceptual scores increased significantly from pre-test (M = 16.56) to post-test (M = 20.54) out of 35 points with a large effect size (Cohen’s d, d = 0.96) and remained above baseline after one week. Critical thinking abilities showed substantial development across all dimensions, with Context reasoning showing the largest improvement (rank-biserial correlation, rrb = 0.91) and significant retention gains (rrb = 0.81). Purpose (rrb = 0.77) and Mechanism (rrb = 0.75) reasoning also improved significantly from pre-test to post-test despite greater decline at retention. The blended approach proved particularly effective, with the online phase establishing foundational knowledge and the hands-on phase reinforcing application-oriented understanding. These findings suggest that sequential blended PBL approaches offer considerable potential for pandemic science education while developing essential 21st-century reasoning skills.
Keywords—blended Problem-Based Learning (PBL), COVID-19 pandemic, conceptual understanding, critical thinking, secondary school, pandemic literacy
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Keywords—blended Problem-Based Learning (PBL), COVID-19 pandemic, conceptual understanding, critical thinking, secondary school, pandemic literacy
Cite: Theethawat Praputpittaya, Pratchayapong Yasri, and Pirom Chenprakhon, "Blended Problem-Based Learning for Enhancing COVID-19-Related Scientific Understanding and Critical Thinking in Thai Secondary School Students," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 1397-1405, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).