Author : Shun-Mei Siu
Publisher : Open Dissertation Press
Page : 116 pages
File Size : 17,85 MB
Release : 2017-01-27
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781374728448
Book Description
This dissertation, "Primary School Teachers' Perceptions of Project Learning" by Shun-mei, Siu, 蕭舜美, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: Abstract This study explores Hong Kong primary school teachers' perceptions of project learning and the development of nine generic skills through such learning. It is argued that project learning for primary school students is a form of assisted learning. The assistance includes a well-planned curriculum, grouping of mixed abilities students in project groups, provision of training and teaching resources to teachers and most importantly, teachers' intentional assistance to students in cultivating students' generic skills. How well teachers' perceptions matched with this assertion was investigated in this research. The research is a case study of teachers' perception of project learning in a local primary school. Teachers of the case school have proper training on implementing project learning, and have three years of experience conducting them. Findings were obtained from questionnaire answered by twenty teachers of the case school, interviews with three teachers and observation on the performance of students' generic skills by the researcher. These were triangulated to enhance the validity of the study. iiIt was found that teachers of the case school had a clear understanding of project learning, and how and why it should be conducted. They also expressed their competent views on the critical success factors in project learning. At the planning and administrative level, success in project learning would have to rely on: the leadership of the principal, teacher training, the appointment of a project coordinator, and the support offered by this person. At the teaching and learning level, success in project learning would depend on teacher's careful planning and guidance. Teachers must follow closely the students through the project. Students would need a lot of prompting and inspiration. Other preferred practices of project learning were also identified. Teachers in general had a positive attitude towards project learning. Although they believed that guiding students through project learning was a more laborious task than teaching a normal classroom lesson, most of them agreed that the implementation of project learning could improve classroom teaching and also their professional image. Both the teachers and the researcher agreed that students developed all the nine generic skills in the process of project learning, with collaboration and communication skills as the most effectively acquired. The teachers also believed that iiithe students, besides gaining knowledge, could now better express their talents, develop interest in learning, and gain confidence in approaching problems. There are implications of the study for all stakeholders in education. For education planners and heads of schools, difficulties in implementing project learning, as identified by the teachers, lay in having teachers not fully understanding the purpose and method of implementation of project learning. Another problem identified was that teachers had a tendency to spend more effort on exhibit (product) and less on the process of learning. For frontline teachers the results of the study provide 'effective guidance to facilitate the process of learning to teach' (Kwo, 1998, p.11). Parents may also be interested to find that students do improve in a number of areas after participating in project work, and therefore they will be more supportive to their children in project le