Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify novice teachers’ beliefs about their implementation of and instruction with project-based learning (PjBL) in authentic secondary science and mathematics classrooms in their first school placements as teachers of record. PjBL as an inductive instructional method with a specific focus on active learning. Teachers’ beliefs are one of the key determinants in their decision-making for using teaching practices and how to teach. Investigating beliefs contributes to the knowledge base related to the progressive development of PjBL in K-12 classrooms. Despite this focus, little is known about novice secondary teachers’ beliefs on implementing PjBL. Utilizing a qualitative approach, data from two focus group interviews revealed two themes capturing participants’ developing beliefs about project-based instruction: (a) beliefs about how students learn with PjBL implementation and (b) beliefs about instruction with PjBL implementation. Implications include the need to conceptualize a complex perspective of PjBL from school and classroom contexts, and to move away from conceptualizing PjBL as a set of procedures that conform to classroom practices.
License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Research Article
EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 21, Issue 6, 2025, Article No: em2652
https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/16513
Publication date: 18 Jun 2025
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