Zhong Jianer, Ismail Lilliati, Lin Yueqiao
Department of Foreign Languages, Yangjiang Polytechnic, Yangjiang, Guangdong, China.
Department of Language and Humanities Education, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jun 25;16:1598513. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1598513. eCollection 2025.
Student engagement is essential for improving academic performance and achievement. Project-Based Learning (PBL) has emerged as a promising instructional approach to enhance student engagement. However, its effectiveness across various engagement dimensions remains under-explored.
This study employed a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach to examine the impact of PBL on student engagement, with a specific focus on its behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and agentic dimensions. It involved 96 first-year students from a Chinese polytechnic, who were assigned to either an experimental group ( = 49) or a control group ( = 47). While the control group received instruction through conventional teaching methods, the experimental group engaged in PBL. Data were collected through a combination of questionnaires and interviews.
Findings indicate that PBL significantly enhances emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. However, the results also reveal that PBL had no significant effect on agentic engagement. Students perceived PBL as a highly effective method for enhancing engagement, as evidenced by increased strong interest and enjoyment, focused concentration and effort, active use of cognitive strategies, and proactive contribution to learning.
This study demonstrates the potential of PBL to foster deeper engagement in EFL settings, particularly in behavioral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. Nonetheless, its limited effect on agentic engagement suggests a need for instructional adjustments that encourage student autonomy and voice. These findings provide practical insights for educators aiming to implement PBL effectively in EFL classrooms.
学生参与对于提高学业成绩和成就至关重要。基于项目的学习（PBL）已成为一种有前景的教学方法，可增强学生参与度。然而，其在不同参与维度上的有效性仍有待深入探讨。
本研究采用准实验混合方法来检验PBL对学生参与度的影响，特别关注其行为、情感、认知和自主维度。研究涉及一所中国理工学院的96名一年级学生，他们被分为实验组（n = 49）或对照组（n = 47）。对照组通过传统教学方法接受教学，实验组则参与PBL。数据通过问卷调查和访谈相结合的方式收集。
研究结果表明，PBL显著提高了情感、行为和认知参与度。然而，结果也显示PBL对自主参与度没有显著影响。学生们认为PBL是提高参与度的一种非常有效的方法，表现为强烈的兴趣和享受感增加、注意力集中和努力程度提高、积极使用认知策略以及对学习的积极贡献。
本研究证明了PBL在促进外语学习环境中更深入参与方面的潜力，特别是在行为、情感和认知维度。尽管如此，其对自主参与度的有限影响表明需要进行教学调整，以鼓励学生的自主性和发言权。这些研究结果为旨在在外语课堂中有效实施PBL的教育工作者提供了实际见解。
