The Implementation of Project-Based Learning in Economics at Certificate Level

This dissertation, "The Implementation of Project-based Learning in Economics at Certificate Level" by Wai-man, Wong, 黃慧文, 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 st The 21 century generates rapid development of information and technology and a constant expansion of new knowledge. It is important for our students to develop the learning abilities to understand and to apply knowledge, to be innovative, to collaborate and to reflect on what they have learnt, rather than to limit their learning to knowledge passed down by their teachers. In order to meet the needs, educators have to move away from the traditional teacher-centred teaching approach to more 'student-centered' approach. In the wake of increasing the number of 'student-centered' techniques of teaching in the past decades, Learning to Learn published by the Curriculum Development Council (2001) recommended project-based learning as one of the four key tasks in education. This research study adopted a qualitative case study approach. This was a case study of a S.4 economics class of 42 students worked on a project called 'Running a Business for Community Chest of Hong Kong'. The focus of analysis in the justification of adopting the project-based learning in S.4 Economics can enhance learning qualities stated by Curriculum Development Council. Also, it is particularly important to provide insight into what factors could enhance and deter the implementation of project-based learning in S.4 Economics. In order to take full account of the many interaction effects that take place in social settings, data was collected from observations, interviews with students, teachers and parents, as well as the descriptive analysis of questionnaires to facilitate the discussion. The research concluded that the adoption of project-based learning in S.4 Economics enables students to acquire economic knowledge, skills, such as communication and collaboration skills from real-life experiences as Curriculum Development Council stated. 79% of 42 S.4 Economics students in the questionnaire revealed that project-based learning is interesting. They had autonomy to decide what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce, which actually was their own work, instead of ordinary conventional assignments. Moreover, students undertaking projects could be capitalized on the success of collaborative learning. However, it is still a long way to go since the pressure from school authority, parents and public examination; the threat of closing school, time constraints and limited resources are identified as the obstacles for implementing the project-based learning in S.4 Economics in Hong Kong. DOI: 10.5353/th_b3734302 Subjects: Economics - Study and teaching (Secondary) - China - Hong Kong Project method in teaching - China - Hong Kong Group work in education - China - Hong Kong High school seniors - China - Hong Kong - Attitudes