<p>Education today needs to be different than the education that has been prevalent in U.S. public schools for generations of students, in part because of the rapid rise of technology in recent years. Students need to be able to employ 21st century skills in today’s workforce. The current study’s purpose was to measure the educational impact of Project Based Learning (PBL) in eighth grade social studies on students’ academic achievement, attendance, and discipline in a north Texas School district. The researcher analyzed historical State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) data, attendance data, and discipline data housed in the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). Achievement results were measured using scale scores from the STAAR eighth grade social studies, reading, and mathematics tests. The groups (PBL and nonPBL) were then compared using independent sample t-tests and a series of MANOVA tests to compare the specific objectives within the subject tests. The results of the study indicated that PBL students performed better on the STAAR social studies test and all four of the social studies objectives tested by STAAR than nonPBL students. Attendance and discipline rates were then compared using independent sample t-tests. </p><p> The results showed that PBL students do not have higher attendance rates and lower discipline rates than students in nonPBL settings. Recommendations made by the researcher related to further expansion of PBL within social studies and science classrooms in the District as well as additional research opportunities. </p><p> <i>Keywords</i>: project based learning, accountability, student engagement, student attendance, student discipline, student achievement, 21st century skills </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10103794 |
| Date | 21 May 2016 |
| Creators | Mika, Cynthia A. |
| Publisher | Dallas Baptist University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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