RTL2 Assignment 2

Part A: Assignment 2 Literature Review

Nitish Navitesh Prakash Student number: 18413306

Why are students engaged in Project based learning in science?

Project based learning (PBL) is an approach to teaching which involves students responding
to complex real-world problems through an extended inquiry process. PBL has been seen in
the work of John Dewey and William Kilpatrick dating back to 1918 when the term was first
used (Edutopia, 2014). The PBL process involves student-centred learning such as peer
collaboration and emphasises critical thinking, interdisciplinary learning, and maybe the
most important, communication skills (Edutopia, 2008; Markham, Larmer, & Ravitz, 2003;
Thomas, 2000). PBL has its roots in Piaget’s theory of constructivism building knowledge and
forming meaning from their experiences (Piaget, 1972). Student engagement in the
academic community has been known as “the holy grail of learning” (Sinatra, Heddy, &
Lombardi, 2015, p.1). Student engagement and learning like Piaget says, forms meaning
from their experiences. This literature review aims to understand how PBL achieves this in
the curricula of science; how the research for this was conducted e.g. through surveys,
interviews or observation, and did the results display engagement in PBL for science.

Toledo (2014) asked the ResearchGate “What is your opinion and experiences in Problem-
Based Learning?” There were over 40 responses from individuals in higher education. The
main concern was that the PBL needs to be thought out. Teachers cannot leave students
with an ill-defined complex problem. The learning should be student-centred with the
teacher acting more as guide. Also, another issue is the PBL may not be as useful in a
research-oriented task (Toledo, 2014).

Christenson, Reschly, and Wylie (2012) state that student engagement is the active
participation of learners in curricula or school activities. Students who are engaged find
meaning from the learning and become invested in their learning and future. A study
conducted by Schmidt et al. (2017) found that student choices in general matters and in
choices such as framing the task have a much more positive impact on engagement than
laboratory activities which have positives but also negatives. Things such as choosing who
the students want to work with or how much time should be allocated to complete a task all
have positive impact on student engagement. Framing choices are seen as a student’s full
engagement in science learning activities (Schmidt et al., 2017). Science students are active
agents in deciding critical components of learning tasks.

Project Based Learning in Hawaii (2019); a three-hour block per day for project-based
learning focusing on skill building infusing the Hawaiian language and culture to provide
students for what they will need in the future. Mālama Honua Public Charter School were
able to see their overall school progress through quantitative data collection of grades 3 and
4. The results indicated 69% proficiency in mathematics compared to other schools which
were around 48% state-wide. The school’s success in engagement came from the real-world
aspects of the learning. The use of the culture and language of the students provided
meaning. Schools in Australia have a vast array of cultures and languages. Catering for all of
them would be tedious so another approach would need to be taken for creating meaning.

PBL Engaging the Disengaged (2019); a teacher had shared her views on PBL which had
outstanding results in a year 8 science class. The structure was based on PBL with a clear
issue (citizens getting cancer in the city). This idea came from the fact that students from a
lower socioeconomic area were often disengaged. The factors listed were “negative
environmental impacts, family and social issue, achievement gaps in academic skills, little
engagement in lesson strategies, lack of self- confidence, and difficulty adjusting to a
restrictive classroom that does not encourage communication” (PBL Engaging the
Disengaged, 2019). Each of these limitations were addressed and students engaged because
of PBL. The information found here was based like an interview to a teacher. The critical
information here were the disengagement factors, PBL in this setting still worked. There was
no mention to how this occurred, just the results of the project and students developing a
meaning for the learning as it was something happening around them.

Viewpoint on PBL: What Students Say | MyPBLWorks (2019) asked 6 students “Why do you
like PBL?” This question ultimately brought out the things that the students engaged with.
The main aspects were:

 Its interdisciplinary, students can engage in multiple subjects at once or jump back
and forth.
 Collaboration allowing for students to work with their friends as well make new
friends and face challenges together like in a real world setting.
 Student led; the students lead the way in their learning and teachers guide with
questions bringing them to the answers instead of giving it to them
 ICT can be integrated into any PBL project “making it seem more real”.
 It is hands on as opposed to worksheets and copying down information.
 Real-world links and relevancy.
 Requires students to do presentations on the research problems, the process,
methods, and results that they used sometimes with stakes like presenting in front
of a school etc. (Schuetz, 2018).

Grant (2011) conducted a qualitative study which included observations, interviews and
data collection on geography students to gain their perspectives on PBL. 5 themes emerged
about the participants projects and learning:

1. Internal influences
2. External influences
3. Beliefs about projects
4. Tools for technology-rich environments
 5. Learning outcomes and products (Grant, 2011)

PBL projects in the form of a science fair was tasked to primary school science teachers and
the study showed that pre-service teachers developed effective thinking skills in science
(Etherington, 2011). If pre-service teachers were exposed to PBL in their own higher
education they may be able to employ PBL in the class setting with a better understanding
on what engages students. Getting hands on with the pedagogical practice would improve
its implementation.

This review of PBL and why it engages students in science has seen educational researchers
use a wide range of data collection methods with the common one among them being
interviews as it allows for open ended questions allowing participants to give different
answers. It can be seen that the common trends for student engagement in PBL is linked to
the meaning behind the learning that they can somewhat guide their learning and go
beyond answering the question. The thing that really gets the students engaged according
to Schmidt et al. (2017) is student choice. PBL lets students take charge of their learning and
that is what keeps students engaged in their projects. A big limitation to PBL would be
finding time to do it. STEM is offered to students as an elective but PBL should be conducted
for every year. Science over other subjects has so many qualities of PBL and with the two
combined give students the ability to work as real scientists.

Part B: Data collection protocol

Dear Potential Participant:

I am working on a project titled Student Engagement in Project Based Learning for the class,
‘Researching Teaching and Learning 2,’ at Western Sydney University. As part of the project,
I am collecting information to help inform the design of a teacher research proposal.
The topic concerns student’s engagement in project-based learning. Through a literature
review, the main points of engagement in project-based learning were identified. The
interview will consist of a series of questions which will gauge the participant’s thoughts on
project-based learning and what they think engaged them. The aim of this would be to
determine whether the factors from the literature review match the participant’s responses.
Participants will not be made aware prior to the interview.

By signing this form I acknowledge that:

 I have read the project information and have been given the opportunity to
discuss the information and my involvement in the project with the researcher/s.
  The procedures required for the project and the time involved have been
explained to me, and any questions I have about the project have been answered
to my satisfaction.
 I consent to answering the interview questions pertaining engagement in Project
based Learning.
 I understand that my involvement is confidential and that the information gained
during this data collection experience will only be reported within the confines of
the ‘Researching Teaching and Learning 2’ unit, and that all personal details will
be de-identified from the data.
 I understand that I can withdraw from the project at any time, without affecting
my relationship with the researcher/s, now or in the future.

By signing below, I acknowledge that I am 18 years of age or older, or I am a full-time

university student who is 17 years old.
Signed:__________________________________
Name: __________________________________
Date: __________________________________
By signing below, I acknowledge that I am the legal guardian of a person who is 16 or 17
years old, and provide my consent for the person’s participation.
Signed:__________________________________
Name: __________________________________
Date: __________________________________

Research Questions For participants

Question
Why are 1. What do you think engagement is in the context of a
students classroom?
engaged in 2. What do you think Project based learning is?
Project based 3. Based on what you know about PBL what do you like and
learning in dislike?
science? 4. Are there any limitations to PBL?
5. Why do you think an individual may be engaged in PBL?
6. Have you ever participated in PBL? Why or why not?
7. Do you think PBL would be effective in Science to engage
students?
8. What aspects of PBL do you think promote engagement?
9. Which of these factors do you think have the most positive
effect on engagement?
10. Would you prefer being taught in PBL regularly why or why
not?
11. If any what were your experiences in Science PBL like?
 Part C: Data collection protocol explanation
The purpose of this data collection is to gain a better understand the effect of project-based
learning (PBL) on student engagement. Participants targeted for the study will be those
currently finishing their secondary education and those in tertiary education. The
participants will undergo a qualitative analysis to a series of questions in an interview
format. The questions will prompt the participants about their experiences in a PBL
environment. All participants will be de-identified and responses will be recorded for
analysis. Participants may choose to exit the interview at any time. At least 3 people will be
interviewed with a possible maximum of 10. All participants will be given time to respond to
each question. Participants responses will be compared to the factors stated in the
literature review for what engaged students in PBL. Science PBL will be a focus towards the
end to see if the points throughout the interview surface again for analysis
This interview is semi structured (the questions are set prior to the interview) as opposed to
structured because it allows for open ended questions (Efron & Ravid, 2013, p. 98-100). This
is to allow the interviewees develop their own narrative to their responses which may be
related to the study looking at PBL but not included in the interview questions, for example
question 5 “ why do you think an individual may be engaged in PBL?” This may prompt
participants to go back and live out the memory of the project and use the narrative to
answer the question. Follow up questions will be used and be unstructured (made in the
moment) to encourage extended and deepened responses for the participants (Kvale &
Brinkmann, 2009; Seidman, 2012). The literature review indicated that interviews were a
great way to obtain the data for this research question. Although observations would help,
the performance of students in PBL isn’t the goal here. Asking more questions than
Viewpoint on PBL: What Students Say | MyPBLWorks. (2019) why do you like PBL and
qualitatively analysing the data like Grant (2011) should reveal the similarities to the first
hand investigation and literature review.
The goal is to find what aspects of PBL really engage students and utilizing the results and
review to find them. Once this is achieved the ideas can used by science teachers. The key
aspects that the responses will be compared to are; interdisciplinary engagement,
collaboration, student choices where students lead the learning, ICT, hands on, real world
experiences, and presentation with stakes.
References
Brinkmann, S., & Kvale, S. (2015). InterViews. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Christenson, S., Reschly, A., & Wylie, C. (2012). Handbook of Research on Student
Engagement. Dordrecht: Springer.
Dewey, J. (1986). Experience and Education. The Educational Forum, 50(3), 241-252. doi:
10.1080/00131728609335764
Edutopia. (2014). Why Teach with Project-Based Learning? Providing Students with a Well-
Rounded Classroom Experience. Retrieved 26 August 2019, from
https://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction
Efron, S.E. & Ravid, R. (2013). Action Research: A practical guide. Guildford Press e-book
retrieved from:
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/UWSAU/reader.action?docID=1137441.
Etherington, M. B. (2011). Investigative Primary Science: A Problem-based Learning
Approach. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(9). doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2011v36n9.2
Grant, M. (2011). Learning, Beliefs, and Products: Students' Perspectives with Project-based
Learning. Interdisciplinary Journal Of Problem-Based Learning, 5(2). doi:
10.7771/1541-5015.1254
Markham, T., Larmer, J., & Ravitz, J. (2003). Project based learning handbook. Novato, Calif:
Buck Institute for Education.
Piaget, J., & WELLS, P. (1972). Psychology and epistemology: towards a theory of
knowledge. Translated ... by P.A. Wells. London: Allen Lane.
Project-Based Learning: Benefits, Examples, and Resources. (2019). Retrieved 26 August
2019, from https://www.schoology.com/blog/project-based-learning-pbl-benefits-
examples-and-resources
Project Based Learning in Hawaii. (2019). Retrieved 26 August 2019, from
https://www.pblworks.org/success-stories/project-based-learning-hawaii
PBL Engaging the Disengaged. (2019). Retrieved 26 August 2019, from
https://www.pblworks.org/success-stories/pbl-engaging-disengaged
Seidman, I. (2012). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education
and the social sciences (4th ed.). New York: Teachers College Press
Sinatra, G. M., Heddy, B. C., & Lombardi, D. (2015). The challenges of defining and
measuring student engagement in science. Educational Psychologist, 50(1), 1– 13.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/10.1080/00461520.2014.1002924
Schmidt, J., Rosenberg, J., & Beymer, P. (2017). A person-in-context approach to student
engagement in science: Examining learning activities and choice. Journal Of Research
In Science Teaching, 55(1), 19-43. doi: 10.1002/tea.21409
Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. Retrieved from
http://www.bie.org/research/study/ review_of_project_based_learning_2000
Toledo, R.S. (2014) Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_your_opinion_and_experiences_in_Pr
oblem-Based_Learning
Viewpoint on PBL: What Students Say | MyPBLWorks. (2019). Retrieved 26 August 2019,
from https://my.pblworks.org/resource/blog/viewpoint_on_pbl_what_students_say