•  
  •  
 

Author ORCID Identifier

Elsje Theodora Maasawet: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8234-643X

 Jullya Christin Kolow https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7716-9339

Abstract

Biology education often relies on content-intensive instructional materials that may encourage rote memorisation rather than conceptual understanding, potentially contributing to misconceptions. Case-Based Learning (CBL) offers an alternative by engaging students in applying biological concepts to authentic, real-life cases and promoting meaningful learning. Despite growing empirical interest in CBL, no systematic literature review has specifically synthesised its application in biology education. This study therefore examined publication trends, learning skills addressed, and conceptualisations of CBL in biology education. Relevant literature was retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science using “Case-Based Learning” as the search term. Following PRISMA-guided screening, 42 articles were included from an initial pool of 2,443 records. The findings indicate a substantial increase in CBL-related publications over the past decade, with studies employing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods designs. Bibliometric analysis identified M. Gartmeier as the most prolific author, M. Bi as a prominent author in the bibliographic coupling network, and S. Ekeocha as a leading co-cited author. Frequently occurring keywords included human, medical education, student, and learning. Researchers from at least 22 countries contributed to the literature, with China and the United States emerging as the leading contributors and Asian institutions accounting for a substantial proportion of author affiliations. However, within-country collaboration was more common than international collaboration. The review further consolidates existing conceptualisations of CBL in biology education and provides a systematic overview of the field’s development. These findings provide a foundation for extending CBL research across diverse educational contexts and for further examining the learning outcomes and skills associated with its implementation.

First Page

91

Last Page

119

Ethics Approval

No

Declaration Statement

Data availability: processed data in the form of scientific articles. If the editor wants the article data, we will send it.

Funding statement: This research was conducted at the author's personal expense.

Conflict of interest disclosure: There is no conflict of interest

Permission to reproduce materials from other sources: N/A

Clinical trial registration: N/A

Download

Share

COinS