Innovating in education: effectiveness of PBL on students' skills

• Main Author: Neves, Ana Catarina Moiteiro das
• Publication Date: 2016
• Format: Master thesis
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/18596
• topic: Education; Project-based learning (PBL); 21st century skills; Motivation; Critical thinking; Mentes empreendedoras (ME); Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Sociais::Economia e Gestão

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of project-based learning on students’ motivation and critical thinking, considering the importance of preparing students for a knowledge-based economy. The research analysed 113 students from four schools were the project Mentes Empreendoras was implemented. Pre and post-test analyses and a matching procedure were conducted to guarantee comparability. The study suggests positive evidences of project-based learning in the motivation and critical thinking skills of students, indicating that an educational approach that fosters self-discovery might be well suited to engage and motivate students and promote their critical thinking.