The Impact of Project-Based Learning on Achievement and Student Views: The Case of AutoCAD Programming Course

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of project-based learning on academic achievements of vocational school of higher education students and to investigate their views on the topic. In the study, a mixed descriptive design where qualitative and quantitative data were both collected and analyzed. The quantitative part was conducted with relational screening method and the qualitative part was conducted with descriptive analysis method. The study group included 13 freshmen students attending the vocational school of higher education, building inspection program in a university located in Eastern Anatolia region in Turkey during the 2016-2017 academic year spring semester and selected with convenience sampling method. The study was conducted during the 14 weeks long period where the related programming course was instructed. In the study, quantitative data were collected with an achievement test that measured the academic achievements of the students in AutoCAD programming course. The qualitative data were collected with a structured interview form designed to collect the student views on the related course. Quantitative data were analyzed with the t-test and the descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the qualitative data. In conclusion, it was determined that project-based learning had a positive impact on academic achievement. Furthermore, students expressed that they achieved meaningful learning as a result of the project-based learning application and the method was adequate for the instruction process, improved their interest in the course and related the content with daily life.

Course Redesign: Implementing Project-Based Learning to Improve Students’ Self-Efficacy

“…The next contribution of this research pertains to the impacts of PjBL on the improvement of students' academic self-efficacy. While previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of PjBL in improving student academic performance (Cȩlik et al, 2018;Huysken, et al, 2019), conceptual understanding (Coruhly & Nas, 2018), and research skills (Saliba et al, 2017), this study revealed its effects on participants' self-efficacy -a critical contributor to academic success. This finding of the current study can assist first-year academic coordinators and faculty to more efficiently utilize PjBL in their course redesign efforts, especially for accomplishing the learning outcomes that students' have historically struggled with.…”

“…Thus, the findings of this study can help us better understand the positive effects of prior course redesign efforts (Hearne & Henkin, 2011;Vaughan, 2010;Wilson et al, 2018) by associating them with improvements in students' self-efficacy (Fini et al, 2018). It can also be argued that the evidence presented in this study supports the claim that students' perceptions of their increased academic abilities are not unwarranted and can be affirmed by their academic performance in the future (Cȩlik et al, 2018;Das et al, 2019;Huysken et al, 2019;Olson, 2017). This knowledge can serve as an important implication for all FYS faculty and staff working with students who are struggling academically, enroll in colleges under-prepared, or find it particularly hard to overcome academic barriers and roadblocks.…”

“…The available studies, however, agree that PjBL can be used as a powerful tool to improve student learning. The most pronounced positive effects have been recorded in the domain of academic performance (Cȩlik et al, 2018;Huysken et al, 2019) and motivation (Amaral et al, 2018;Requies et al, 2018). Additional results have been documented for improving students' conceptual understanding (Coruhly & Nas, 2018), advancing research skills (Saliba et al, 2017), and enhancing participants' self-efficacy, teamwork, and communication skills (Fini et al, 2018).…”

Project-based online learning experiences of pre-service teachers

“…Similarly, Chen and Yang's (2019) meta-analysis of the effects of the PjBL method on academic achievement compared to traditional methods revealed that the method had an average to higher positive effect on academic achievement. According to findings of similar studies, project-based learning contributes to higher levels of perception and learning by creating an effective classroom environment and ensures high student achievement and performance (Belwal et al, 2020;Cifci, 2015;Çelik et al, 2018;Hugerat, 2016). Participants in another study stated that to the research findings PjBL method increases active participation, makes the lesson comprehensible, efficient, instructive, motivating, and makes learning permanent (Şahin et al, 2020).…”

The Experiences of the Prospective Information Technology Teachers Taking the Multimedia Design and Production Course with Project-Based Learning Method: A Case Study

“…In this context, the PBL is used in many different disciplines. Among these disciplines, there are disciplines such as science (Tierney et al, 2020), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) (Tseng et al, 2013), nursery (Wu et al, 2018), foreign language (Sadeghi, Biniaz & Soleimani, 2016), information technologies (Celik et al, 2018).…”