This study investigated the effectiveness of culturally relevant project-based learning to address the academic achievement gap between Black and Brown students and their White and Asian American peers at New Hope Elementary School. The research aimed to determine if culturally relevant project-based learning could enhance academic outcomes,…

Museums have long been known as an exciting, educational field trip for teachers and students, however, they have the potential to be more. Aside from field trips, some museums offer a range of resources for teachers including professional development sessions. This study followed a sample of classroom teachers as they completed a three-part…

Project-based learning (PBL) is a widely used methodology in the sciences for grades K12. Forward-thinking instructors are also implementing PBL by creating student-led learning opportunities in other subjects. There is, however, a lack of research on teacher perceptions of PBL as a motivational factor in high school. The purpose of this basic…

Over recent decades, the maker movement has expanded from the private sector, libraries, and higher education institutions to K-12 schools. While many studies provide implications of STEM and maker activities and their effects on learning in informal settings, few have framed such investigations within the context of a makerspace in K-12 schools.…

Project-based learning is used in K-12 schools to foster student agency, engagement, autonomy, and motivation. Constructivist and motivation theories support project-based learning in the classroom. Project-based learning approaches in education use the essential standards of project-based learning to establish in-person learning or online…

Technological literacy for all is the goal of technology and engineering education (T&E) instruction. While this has been the goal for several decades, technological literacy is lacking in the United States. To address this problem the current study investigates student motivation toward making and doing. By understanding student motivation…

This qualitative, descriptive, naturalistic study investigated literacy activities, instructional assistance, and pre-service teacher's learning engagement within a project-based learning program. The study lasted six months and totaled 100 minutes (about one and a half hours) a week for two credit hours in the fourth semester of the Early…

Autism spectrum disorder is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States. The significant increase of an autism diagnosis among children requires further evaluation of instructional approaches that are designed to meet the unique needs of students with ASD. Although research has indicated that academic performance plays a…

In a 2010 survey, superintendents in Massachusetts identified proficiency in math as an essential element of college and career readiness for contemporary students (Rennie Center, 2010). U.S. students fail math more often than any other subject, and as a result many students dropout of school, especially low-income and minority students (Schmoker,…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the implementation of PBL in a high needs district had a positive impact on teacher self-efficacy, student engagement and student motivation. In general, the findings indicated that the implementation of PBL increased teacher self-efficacy and led to an increase in student motivation and…

This was a quasi-experimental study that examined two Project-Based Learning (PjBL) environments to determine the impact PjBL has on the changing perceptions of 21st century soft skills, and students' intrinsic motivation. Further, researchers were interested in evaluating the difference in results between an interdisciplinary PjBL experience and…

There has been much discussion over which environment most effectively provides optimum support and motivates student learning. It was discovered through the review of research literature that traditional face-to-face, a combination of face-to-face and online (blended), and solely online learning each provides a learning environment that appeals…

International tests indicate that students in the United States rank lower in mathematical achievement than students in many other countries (NCES, 1998; OECD, 2014). More than one-quarter of American 15-year-olds do not reach a baseline proficiency in math and do not have the requisite skills to effectively participate in day-to-day life…

The purpose of this research study was to determine if project-based learning activities (PBLA) incorporated into an eighth-grade mathematics classroom have an effect on students' academic achievement and motivation toward learning. The control group used the traditional instruction method to cover mathematic objective skills that are Common Core…

The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the experiences of high school physics students who were solving complex, ill-structured problems, in an effort to better understand how self-regulatory behavior mediated the project experience. Consistent with Voss, Green, Post, and Penner's (1983) conception of an ill-structured problem in…