Abstract

A significant amount of literature postures the effectiveness of project-based learning as a teaching strategy to raise student achievement, especially students who are low performers on traditional test-taking instruments. Project-based learning engages students in active and responsible learning (Buck Institute for Education, 2011; Harada, Kirio, & Yamamoto, 2008). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact project-based learning had on academic achievement. A constructivist point of view, where the participants of the study immersed themselves into the activity, and constructed new meaning (Brooks & Brooks, 1993), informed this study. The scope encompassed twenty students, conveniently selected from grades K through 5 at a private educational facility in South Florida. The methodology used to conduct the study was a qualitative research strategy embedded in grounded theory analysis, an inductive and systematic system built upon the consistent comparative method, and simultaneous data collection (Babchuk, 2009), to gather information to answer the research questions. Consistent with the characteristics of grounded theory, where emergent tenets evolve, data were collected, codified, and analyzed. Limitations of the study included the small population sample of 20 students, and the location of the study at a private school, compared with a public school where the sample size could have been larger. Results from this study indicated the need to expand the literature on project-based arguments, and broaden discussion opportunities. Significant recommendations for education leaders, educators, parents, and students to focus on academic achievement for students who are academically challenged were included in this work.

Key words: grounded theory, constructivist, project-based-learning, student achievement, academic achievement, emergent, academically challenged

Details

Title
The Impact of Project-Based Learning on Academic Achievement for Students with Academic Challenges at K–5 Grade Levels: A Grounded Theory Revelation
Author
Speckels, Hermie Fuller
Publication year
2012
Publisher
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
ISBN
978-1-267-25959-2
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
992879069
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.