LEARNING ACTIVITIES FOR COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING

Project-based learning in specialized subjects is expected to help the learners acquire not only technical skills, but also the ability to use knowledge and to cooperate with others. We therefore held a class in which the students were to solve community issues using marketing techniques. The project planned activities to promote local economies in cooperation with local communities using vacant land through group activities that have been proven to be an effective mode of learning by past research results, developed a project mascot, and proposed a plan at a report meeting. The report meeting, held at a college, invited local companies and experts, who provided evaluation and advice.

Learners were surveyed using questionnaires before and after the project to assess any changes in their perceptions. It was found that the students had achieved overall improvement in their skills and knowledge. A reason might be that they had acquired the knowledge of purchasing behavior and gained motivation to create new products actively and to contribute to the local community while thinking in the perceptive of consumers (users) to develop a proposal for the promotion of the local economy using the vacant land.

An investigation of the relation between awareness and activities revealed that effective learning activities take into account research and analysis and assessment of others. The results suggest the students’ idea that the activities to assess the questions and advice given by others adequately facilitated their goal achievement. This implication is likely to be true because the advice of others helped define their goals and allowed them to have a sense of achievement. In addition, the group consultation activities require cooperative discussions with others, which the students might consider helped develop their cooperation and communication skills.

Details of the learning activities must be examined fully when implementing project-based learning. Future studies will address the further effectiveness of these activities by placing learning through cooperation with local communities, particularly in the curriculum.