Data collected to measure the impact of problem-based learning and document physics classroom practices among Ugandan secondary schools.

This dataset comprises data collected from three measures; (a) 419 students who completed the mechanical waves conceptual survey (MWCS), (b) the same students (419 students) who completed the views about sciences survey (VASS), and (c) 152 physics lessons that were observed from 22 teachers using reformed teaching observation protocol (RTOP). The data were collected from 19 schools in Mitoma district, Southern western Uganda, for the first author's doctoral research project in physics education pursued at the University of Rwanda College of Education (URCE). The data were collected from February to April 2021, while the training for the problem-based learning (PBL) approach was delivered to teachers from 10 to 11 February 2021.