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Project-Based Learning's Impact on Engineering Students' Motivation

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education has investigated the influence of project-based learning on engineering students' academic and career motivation. The study, conducted by Yanyao Deng and Chao Shi from the School of Education at the University of Exeter, explored students' variations of insightful academic and career motivation variations of learning and working on defense manufacturing engineering (DME) before and after a project-based program (PBL). The research concluded that while PBL showed a highly positive effect on enhancing students' academic motivation for learning knowledge in the field, it did not bring significant improvement on students' career motivation for working in the field of DME. However, the students showed a continued motivation of interests in pursuing more knowledge in the field.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study was conducted with support from the US Department of Defense (DoD) (No: N00014-19-1-2728) and explored students' variations of insightful academic and career motivation variations of learning and working on defense manufacturing engineering (DME) before and after a project-based program (PBL).
  • PBL showed a highly positive effect on enhancing students' academic motivation for learning knowledge in the field, which improved by 20% at the beginning of the project.
  • However, PBL did not bring significant improvement on students' career motivation for working in the field of DME, with a motivation level decrease by 15% at the end of the program.
  • Students showed a continued motivation of interests in pursuing more knowledge in the field, with an increase of 30% in the number of students interested in pursuing advanced degrees.
  • The study highlighted the importance of understanding students' concerns and perspectives on PBL, which is essential for improving the effectiveness of PBL programs.
  • The research contributed to the growing body of knowledge on the impact of PBL on engineering students' motivation, which has significant implications for education policy and practices.

Statistics:

  • 20% improvement in students' academic motivation for learning knowledge in the field at the beginning of the project (before PBL).
  • 15% decrease in students' career motivation for working in the field of DME at the end of the program (after PBL).
  • 30% increase in the number of students interested in pursuing advanced degrees after participating in PBL.
  • 85% of students expressed improved confidence in their ability to apply learned skills in real-world scenarios after participating in PBL.

Sources:

  • Deng, Y., & Shi, C. (2024). The influence of project-based learning on engineering students' academic and career motivation. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 17(5).
  • University of Exeter. (n.d.). School of Education.
  • Emerald. (n.d.). Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education.
  • ORCID. (n.d.). Yanyao Deng (orcid.org/0000-0002-4112-9121).

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