Liu, W.C., Wang, C.K., Tan, O.S., Koh, C., Ee, J. (2009). A self-determination approach to understanding students' motivation in project work. Learning and Individual Differences, 19. 139-145.

This article is a study that focuses on the impact of Project Work (PW) or project-based learning with regards to its introduction in Singaporean schools. In particular, the study examines the effect that PW had on the motivational processes of various groups of students using Self-Determination Theory (SDT). What researchers were able to conclude was that the attitude in which a student approached PW was directly related to the type of experience and learning that he or she had with PW. As a matter of fact, those students who benefited the most from PW were those who already had an internal or self-determined motivation that did not have been supplied by the teacher.

From reading this article, one question immediately comes to mind. In a classroom that operates mainly on direct instruction, wouldn’t it also be the case that those students who excel the most would be those students who possess the most internal motivation? How valid then are the results of this study if they are primarily focused on the impact of project-based learning on student motivation? Having said that, as a teacher who relies primarily on direct instruction, I think project-based learning has a lot of merit. For one thing, it teaches the all-important life skill of group work. Students need to learn how to interact with each other in groups, particularly when it involves peers they would not normally interact with or peers they do not get along with. Moreover, I believe project-based learning is much more engaging for students than direct instruction. Anytime you can change up the routine or get students to move around while they learn, then you are having them learn in a different manner than they normally do. Lastly, I think project-based learning tends to enhance the critical thinking skills of students. Speaking from past experience, the projects that I have been assigned have generally required me to think more creatively as well as access Bloom’s taxonomy on a higher level. Having said that, I must acknowledge that direct instruction does have its advantages. As Moore said, direct instruction allows you to get a lot of information across to students in very little time. Accordingly, it is good in the sense that the students will at least have received the material once at some point during the class. In my opinion though, I believe that the best, most effective teachers incorporate both direct instruction and project-based learning into their classroom on a regular basis. Doing so will create the most well-rounded students who can adapt to any teaching style they encounter over the course of their educational careers.