Press Release

Overview

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IMPROVES STUDENT PERFORMANCE SIGNIFICANTLY ACCORDING TO BREAKTHROUGH RESEARCH

Innovative Teaching Strategy Offers Engaging, Real-world Experiences for Students that Could Prove Helpful after a Year of Learning Loss Due to Covid-19

SAN RAFAEL, CA, Feb. 21, 2021 -- Students in project-based learning (PBL) classrooms across the United States significantly outperform students in typical classrooms, according to four studies released today by Lucas Education Research, a division of the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), along with researchers from five major universities.

In the first study ever reported on project-based learning and Advanced Placement results, research scientists at the Center for Economic and Social Research at USC Dornsife found that students taught AP US Government and AP Environmental Science with a PBL approach outperformed peers on exams by 8 percentage points in year one of a randomized controlled trial, and were more likely to earn a passing score of 3 or above with the chance to receive college credit. In year two, PBL students outperformed peers by 10 percentage points. 

The yearlong curricula were developed by University of Washington professors alongside Seattle and Des Moines teachers. For example, in one of the five projects in the AP Government course, students answer the question, “What is the proper role of government in democracy?” by conducting a presidential campaign, taking on the roles of candidates, lobbyists and media. In the first of five projects in AP Environmental Science, students explore sustainability by conducting a personal environmental impact audit and developing a proposal to reduce consumption.

In a second study, researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) found that third- grade students in PBL classrooms from a variety of backgrounds scored 8 percentage points higher on a state science test than students who experienced typical science teaching methods. These effects held regardless of reading level. The third-grade curriculum offers students the chance to contribute to solving problems in their communities, such as how to help local birds survive. 

"By making sense of the world and finding solutions to complex problems, students see that science is meaningful and personally valuable," said Joseph Krajcik, Lappan-Phillips Professor of Science Education and Director of the CREATE for STEM Institute at Michigan State University.

Another group of researchers from the University of Michigan and MSU found that second graders gained 5-6 months more learning in social studies and 2 months more in informational reading after receiving project-based instruction. The students were from low-income backgrounds and from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. The curriculum has four projects, including a civics unit where students develop a proposal to persuade government officials to make improvements to a public space, such as a local playground. 

In the fourth study, Stanford University researchers found that sixth-grade students using a PBL science curriculum performed significantly better on state assessments in mathematics and English language arts when compared with students not using the curriculum. English language learners in the PBL classrooms scored up to 28 percentage points higher than their peers on a language proficiency test after completing projects, such as one on thermal energy where students engineer a solar oven so a neighborhood food truck can bake cookies or design gloves for fishermen working in frigid waters.

"These results demonstrate that well designed experiences with PBL, as well as practices that support equitable collaboration and subject-specific language development, can boost the engagement and learning achievement of historically underserved students, including English language learners," noted Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the California State Board of Education and Professor of Education, Emeritus at Stanford.

Policy makers, educators, and administrators are encouraged to consider project-based learning as a lever for increasing student learning and equitable outcomes.

"The evidence is clear, rigorous PBL results in a significant boost in academic achievement for students from many different backgrounds,” said Kristin De Vivo, executive director of Lucas Education Research.

"Education is the foundation of our democracy," said George Lucas, chairman of GLEF. "Project-based learning offers students rigorous academic experiences that take them beyond the boundaries of textbooks and lectures. In the process, they learn critical thinking skills and the competence to solve problems in the world around them."

Detailed information and videos about the research are available at Lucas Education Research and Edutopia. The curricula in each of the four studies are open-sourced and free. Lucas Education Research, a division of the George Lucas Educational Foundation funded the research.

About the George Lucas Educational Foundation

The George Lucas Educational Foundation is dedicated to transforming prekindergarten through 12th-grade education so all students can acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives. Founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1991, it is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, private 501(c)(3) foundation that welcomes all who are devoted to improving education.

For inquiries, quotes, or help connecting with researchers, teachers, and students, contact nancy.zuckerbrod@glef.org.

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Research

Equity-Centered Project-Based Learning

Cheng, B.H., Clark, T.L., Allen C.D., Garcia, A.G., and Scipio, D. (2023) Equity-Centered Project-Based Learning. Lucas Education Research. This paper provides a background on recent research related to learning and instruction, focusing on two mechanisms essential to deeper learning: (1) inclusion of authentic learning contexts and (2) valuing student voice as part of instruction. The […]

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Research

Including teachers in the social justice equation of project-based learning: A response to Lee & Grapin

Adah Miller, E., Makori, H., Akgun, S., Miller, C., Li, T., & Codere, S. (2022). Including teachers in the social justice equation of project-based learning: A response to Lee & Grapin. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1– 7.

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Research

The Impact of Project-Based Learning on AP Exam Performance

Harnessing a cluster randomized controlled trial, we estimated the impact on students’ advanced placement (AP) examination performance of a project-based learning (PBL) approach to AP compared with a lecture-based AP approach.

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Research Award

Equity-Centered Learning Environments (ECLEs) 

LER funded four research teams who are engaged in ongoing research addressing equity and student-centered learning in educational contexts across the country.

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Research Award

Democratic Knowledge Project

The Democratic Knowledge Project is a project-based learning civics initiative that includes a year-long 8th-grade civics curriculum, Civic Engagement in Our Democracy.

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Research

Mapping Enabling Conditions for High-Quality PBL: A Collaboratory Approach

This paper explores enabling conditions for scaling high-quality project-based learning (PBL) to understand factors that influence how PBL spreads, whether and how it can be sustained and the extent to which it informs meaningful change in schools.

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Research

Designing Project-Based Learning Curricula

This paper provides instructional designers with guidance on how to design high-quality PBL curricula, drawing on the LER research base, the learning science literature, and best practices from the field. To provide developers with guideposts that can inform design decisions, the paper describes a set of design principles that can support the creation of content-rich, student-centered experiences.

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Research

Interdisciplinary Education: Literature Review and Landscape Analysis  

Related to project-based learning, interdisciplinary education can create more relevant learning experiences for all students. This report, produced by RTI International for Lucas Education Research, explores the field of interdisciplinary education through an extensive literature review and landscape analysis. In both parts of the report, RTI examines the definitions of interdisciplinary education; how, where, and why the approach is practiced; and finally the existing research, resources, and structures for interdisciplinary education.

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Research

Motivating Teaching, Sustaining Change in Practice

Miller, E.C., Severance, S., and Krajcik, J. (2021). Motivating Teaching, Sustaining Change in Practice: Design Principles for Teacher Learning in Project-Based Learning Contexts, Journal of Science Teacher Education, 32:7, 757-779 In A Framework for K-12 Science Education, researchers call for teachers to make dramatic shifts in practice – and sustain in these changes in practice […]

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Research Award

Enabling Conditions Collaboratory

The Enabling Conditions Collaboratory brought together four research teams to work towards understanding the conditions that support high-quality PBL.

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