How project-based learning can foster teamwork

Originally posted on The Horizons Tracker.

Project-based learning (PBL)—a method that builds skills through real-world tasks—is widely used in both language and general education classes. While students often work in groups, little is known about how team size or the group environment affects motivation. It’s also unclear how group work interacts with individual traits, such as language ability.

Research¹ from Osaka Metropolitan University set out to investigate. The researcher studied 154 university students enrolled in English as a second language classes. The students were placed in 50 small groups, each with three to five members, and given topic-based projects and presentations to complete.

At the end of the semester, the students answered a questionnaire that measured several factors: gender, group size, beliefs about learning, and self-rated ability. It also assessed how they felt about their group’s working environment.

Quality matters

The results were clear on one point: group size didn’t matter. But the quality of the group environment did. Students who said their group worked well together were more likely to feel motivated—regardless of their language ability or other individual traits.

In short, how students feel in a group may matter more than how many people are in it.

“Preparing the right environment is crucial for making project-based learning work,” the researchers said. They hope their findings help educators focus more on group dynamics—not just lesson plans.

Article source: How Project-Based Learning Can Foster Teamwork.

Header image source: Ivan Samkov on Pexels.

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