The impact of misconceptions about project based learning held by teachers and learners on its implementation in selected schools in Wakiso District

Abstract

The descriptive cross section survey designed research was aimed at finding out the impact of misconceptions about Project Based Learning (PBL) held by teachers and learners on its implementation among selected schools of Wakiso district. PBL is a learner-centered teacher-facilitated strategy in which the learner are at control of learning. The learning style was birthed to the new Competency-Based Curriculum that was introduced to Secondary schools in 2020. Qualitative data was gathered from selected schools where the researchers were placed for their school practice of academic year 2023 from the month of June to August 2023. The data was collected through key informat interview guides for the case of teachers and grouo guided discussion for the data that was got from the students. The data showed that the once existing misconceptions about the meaning, roles played by teachers and students had affected the progress of the PBL for the first two years since the commence of the Project work, and the misconceptions are clearing out therefore they are no longer the limiting factor to the progress of PBL strategy. The projects are being conducted by learners with improvements from the first “task performances “ to now the real “projects” as spelled out by the National Curriculum Development Center (NCDC). The research recommends that more time should be allocated specifically for project work among private schools, teachers motivation should be increased and also parents involvement in their children’s education be mad3 a priority for the overall success of the New Competency-Based Curriculum so as to produce Competent citizens of Uganda who can compete favourable on a global scale in the technological 21st century.