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. 2022;6(1):53-62.
doi: 10.1007/s41686-022-00066-0. Epub 2022 Jun 6.

This School is Made for Students: Students' Perspectives on PBL

Nate Turcotte  1 , Melissa Rodriguez-Meehan  2 , Michele Garabedian Stork  1
Affiliations

This School is Made for Students: Students' Perspectives on PBL

Nate Turcotte et al. J Form Des Learn. 2022.

Abstract

Project-based learning (PBL) is an increasingly popular pedagogical method in K-12 settings. Students exposed to this approach have demonstrated higher academic performance than their peers who have not been exposed, as well as positive rates of self-efficacy and other non-academic skills. Using qualitative methods, including observation, artifact collection, interviews, and focus groups, this research explores biology students' perceptions of their project-based learning experiences. In particular, we leverage a student focus group to understand how students perceive their learning experience. In this focus group, students perceive project-based learning as a positive influence on their agency, self-efficacy, and learning experience as a whole. Significantly, students' accounts reveal how their positive perceptions of PBL correspond with purposefully designed elements of project-based learning. This article offers implications for teachers and educational leaders interested in how students perceive project-based learning and how they might integrate project-based learning into their classrooms.

Keywords: Project-based learning; Qualitative research; Student voice and choice; Student-centered learning.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

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Researcher positioning during group work
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Lionfish meal
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Students practicing their presentations
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Students providing feedback and reflecting on group presentations
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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