International Journal of Modern Education and Computer Science (IJMECS)
IJMECS Vol. 16, No. 2, 8 Apr. 2024
Cover page and Table of Contents: PDF (size: 922KB)
Unveiling Teachers’ Views on the use of Project-Based Learning: An Epistemic Network Analysis Approach
PDF (922KB), PP.1-15
Views: 0 Downloads: 0
Author(s)
Index Terms
Educational data mining, network analysis, teacher role, primary school, opinion mining, sequence mining
Abstract
The role of teachers in facilitating learning is undoubtedly important as they are responsible for selecting appropriate instructional approaches. Project-Based learning (PrBL) has gained recognition as an effective teaching approach as it encourages students to think critically, collaboratively, and systematically. PrBL refers to an educational approach that emphasizes student engagement and active learning through the completion of real-world projects. Students are required to acquire information, search, and experiment to solve a specific problem. PrBL is largely adopted by the higher educational level. Limited use in primary schools has been highlighted by much research. The decision to adopt such a method depends on several factors. The main drivers to make such a decision are the teachers’ preference and the readiness for support from the school. The location of the school largely contributes to the readiness, facilities, support, and quality of education. This paper examines the teachers’ point of view on the utilization of PrBL. Comparing the points of view of the teachers who taught in different locations allows us to observe the factors that should be carefully addressed in order to promote the use of PrBL in primary schools. By using both qualitative and quantitative data, this study aims to understand the potential drawbacks preventing from using the PrBL. The data mining techniques were used to discover insights from both types of data including Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) and sequence mining. ENA employs various mathematical and statistical techniques to analyze and visualize the network structure and dynamics. It can measure the strength of connections, identify central key concepts, and compare the differences in the structure between groups. Sequence mining allows us to observe the pattern of PrBL utilization. The results showed that even though teachers viewed PrBL as a useful approach, not many of them are using it. Also, there are some inconsistencies of knowledge on the steps in the PrBL process. Additionally, teachers often mentioned several problems they faced when using the PrBL. Hence, extra support and knowledge provision are needed, especially for schools located in suburban and rural areas.
Cite This Paper
Sariya Binsaleh, Wannisa Matcha, "Unveiling Teachers’ Views on the use of Project-based Learning: An Epistemic Network Analysis Approach", International Journal of Modern Education and Computer Science(IJMECS), Vol.16, No.2, pp. 1-15, 2024. DOI:10.5815/ijmecs.2024.02.01
Reference
[1]Darling-Hammond, L. (2003). Keeping good teachers: Why it matters, what leaders can do. Educational leadership, 60(8), 6-13.
[2]Alonso, R. R., Plaza, I. R., & Orfali, C. H. (2019). Barriers in teacher perception about the use of technology for evaluation in Higher Education. Digital Education Review, (35), 170-185.
[3]Van Hattum-Janssen, N., & Mesquita, D. (2011). Teacher perception of professional skills in a project-led engineering semester. European Journal of Engineering Education, 36(5), 461-472.
[4]De Casterlé, B. D., Gastmans, C., Bryon, E., & Denier, Y. (2012). QUAGOL: A guide for qualitative data analysis. International journal of nursing studies, 49(3), 360-371.
[5]Noble, H., & Smith, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: a practical example. Evidence-Based Nursing, 17(1), 2-3.
[6]Kokotsaki, D., Menzies, V., & Wiggins, A. (2016). Project-based learning: A review of the literature. Improving schools, 19(3), 267-277.
[7]Thomas, J.W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. San Rafael, CA: Autodesk. http://web.archive.org/web/20030812124529/www.k12reform.org/foundation/PrBL/research/
[8]Terada, Y. (2021, February 21). New Research Makes a Powerful Case for PRBL. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-research-makes-powerful-case-PrBL
[9]Bell, S. (2010). Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future. The clearing house, 83(2), 39-43.
[10]George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2001, November 1). Project-based learning research. Edutopia. www.edutopia.org
[11]Syakur, A., Junining, E., & Sabat, Y. (2020). The Implementation of Project Based Learning (PRBL) Model Towards the Result Student’s TOEFL in 7th semester of Brawijaya University. Journal of Development Research, 4(1), 41-46.
[12]Thomas, J.W. (1998). Project-based learning: Overview. Novato, CA: Buck Institute for Education.
[13]Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn (Vol. 11). Washington, DC: National academy press.
[14]Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [15 December, 2021] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
[15]Smart, K. L., & Csapo, N. (2007). Learning by doing: Engaging students through learner-centered activities. Business Communication Quarterly, 70(4), 451-457.
[16]Sanchez-Romero, J. L., Jimeno-Morenilla, A., Pertegal-Felices, M. L., & Mora-Mora, H. (2019). Design and application of Project-based Learning Methodologies for small groups within Computer Fundamentals subjects. IEEE Access, 7, 12456-12466.
[17]Chintalapati, N., & Daruri, V. S. K. (2017). Examining the use of YouTube as a Learning Resource in higher education: Scale development and validation of TAM model. Telematics and Informatics, 34(6), 853-860.
[18]Waheed, M., & Jam, F. A. (2010). Teacher's intention to accept online education: Extended TAM model. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 2(5), 330-344.
[19]Kormos, E. M. (2018). The unseen digital divide: Urban, suburban, and rural teacher use and perceptions of web-based classroom technologies. Computers in the Schools, 35(1), 19-31.
[20]Peel, K. L. (2020). A beginner's guide to applied educational research using thematic analysis. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 25(1), 2.
[21]Yeung, M. W., & Yau, A. H. (2021). A thematic analysis of higher education students’ perceptions of online learning in Hong Kong under COVID-19: Challenges, strategies and support. Education and Information Technologies, 1-28.
[22]Shaffer, D. W., Collier, W., & Ruis, A. R. (2016). A tutorial on epistemic network analysis: Analyzing the structure of connections in cognitive, social, and interaction data. Journal of Learning Analytics, 3(3), 9–45.
[23]Wakimoto, T., Sasaki, H., Hirayama, R., Mochizuki, T., Eagan, B., Yuki, N., Funaoi, H., Kubota, Y., Suzuki, H., & Kato, H. (2019). Student teachers’ discourse during pupetry-based microteaching. In Eagan, B., Misfeldt, M., & Siebert-Evenstone, A. L., (Eds.) Advances in Quantitative Ethnography: ICQE 2019. (pp.245-255).
[24]Fougt, S.S., Siebert-Evenstone, A. L., Eagan, B., Tabatabai, S., & Misfeldt. M. (2018). Epistemic network analysis of students’ longer written assignments as formative/summative evaluation. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge, Sydney, Australia, March 2018 (LAK’18), 5 pages.
[25]Johnson, C. S., & Delawsky, S. (2013). Project-based learning and student engagement. Academic research international, 4(4), 560.
[26]Tonboot, S., & Pannarunothai, S. (2016). Education Inequality in Thailand: The Case Study of Ordinary National Educational Test Score (O-NET). Journal of Community Development Research (Humanities and Social Sciences), 9(3), 1-9.