Tapping into the Potential of Project-Based Learning by Exploring the Core Elements in Its Implementation

Abstract

Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered instructional approach (Bhat & Dar, 2023), with which, students learn by actively engaging in a complex project that involves activities like project design, problem-solving, decision-making, and investigation. A project in PBL typically entails challenging questions or tasks, and students develop knowledge and skills through inquiry and problem-solving over an enduring period. PBL’s benefits are many, such as the capability to enhance student motivation levels and cognitive engagement in the learning process (Blumenfeld et al., 1991) and its potential to improve students’ language proficiency, critical thinking ability, and communication skills in language education (Du & Han, 2016). Benefits like these have drawn wide attention of the education world to PBL, leading to its popularity and large-scale application at all education levels. On the other hand, certain studies find that PBL does not suit all subjects and students (Aristidou, 2020) and may demand excessive time and resources. In heavily loaded courses with inadequate equipment of teaching resources, PBL’s outcomes can be hampered (Handrianto & Rahman, 2018). Also, enacting PBL poses additional challenges to both the teacher’s instructional organization and the students’ learning attitudes. Nevertheless, its benefits by far outweigh its shortcomings. To fully utilize the former, it is necessary to develop thorough understanding of the essential elements in PBL’s implementation.