Abstract:

Project-based learning (PBL) experiences have been widely implemented and reported in higher education. They are recognised for their effectiveness in fostering curriculum development and the acquisition of the professional competences outlined in their syllabus. This is particularly relevant for pre-service teacher (PST) education, where such experiential learning is crucial for preparing future teachers to design and adapt their future intervention to cater student needs. However, while the general benefits of PBL are acknowledged, how specific teaching competences are developed through these experiences remains underexplored in teacher training research. This paper aims to bridge that gap by reporting the self-perceived competence development of pre-service secondary school English teachers (PSTs) in Spain through a PBL experience.

Thirty-six (N=36) PSTs analysed a teaching unit from a published textbook of their choice in small teams. The purpose of the project was to reflect on how language skills have been fostered and what the approach to teaching grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary was. In order to carry out the analysis they followed a framework with guidelines from relevant discipline-related literature. To find out PSTs’ views on the impact of this experience in their education, a mixed-methods approach was conducted. Quantitative data was obtained from a questionnaire on the extent to which each competence set for them had been developed in a 1-10 Likert-scale right upon the completion of the project. Qualitative data consisted of participants' written reflections on which project aspects enhanced their competence development.

Results indicated that participants considered that the PBL experience strongly developed the specific competences (SCs) prioritised all quantitative means exceeding 9.0 and over 50% of participants awarding the maximum score to each SC. On the other hand, after a thematic analysis, PSTs' contributions focused on SC1 and SC2 mostly which are related to the mastery of subject content and pedagogical knowledge for effective design, implementation, and assessment of teaching interventions with a focus on meeting diverse student needs. These findings highlight the potential of structured PBL to connect theory and practice, they also suggest that it can consistently foster the acquisition of essential competences for adaptive teaching.

Keywords:

Pre-service teacher education, specific competences, project-based learning, teaching materials.