The effect of project-based learning against students’ engagement

This research was conducted to study the effects of project-based learning approach in terms of students' engagement in classroom of Information Communication Technology (ICTs). The study involved two sets of the modules, namely project-based learning with scaffolding and existing approaches. Both modules are used as a guide in the implementation of the project for the Computer Hardware topic. The study was based on a quasi-experimental approach using nonequivalent control groups design to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching approaches on students’ engagement. In this study, 47 students from two (2) different schools in Kerian district, Malaysia were recruited. They were divided into two groups, namely the treatment group (n = 27) and a control group (n = 20). Hypotheses were tested using the independent t test at significance level of p < .05. Procedures of Partial eta-squared and r were used to calculate the effect sizes to measure the strengths of the relations between variables. The results indicated that there were significant differences in students’ engagement. These findings indicate that the application of project-based learning is effective in supporting student learning in ICT in raising the level of engagement among them.