Real Context, Real Engagement

  Summary of Chang, Choi & Şen-Akbulut (2024)

Background & Existing Knowledge
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is known to boost student engagement, but little research explores how authentic, real-world contexts impact college-level learning experiences.

New Insights from This Study
✔ Real-world PBL projects increased behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement.
✔ Students developed stronger teamwork and service-learning awareness.
✔ Authentic tasks strengthened motivation and technology integration skills.

Practical Applications: How Educators Can Use This Research

Authentic Engagement
📌 Use real clients or community partners to frame course projects.
📌 Choose problems aligned with local or professional needs.
📌 Emphasize student agency in solving open-ended challenges.

Team Dynamics
📌 Structure group roles for accountability and equity.
📌 Offer check-ins and reflective feedback on collaboration.
📌 Encourage co-construction of final products with real-world value.

Sustained Learning
📌 Highlight the long-term relevance of projects to future careers.
📌 Incorporate service learning and ethical reflection.
📌 Assess engagement alongside academic content mastery.

Conclusion
Authentic context transforms PBL into a deeper, more engaging experience—preparing students for real-world collaboration, problem-solving, and professional readiness.

Key Words
authentic learning, student engagement, technology integration, real-world context, higher education

Reference
Chang, Y., Choi, J., & Şen-Akbulut, M. (2024). Undergraduate Students’ Engagement in Project-Based Learning with an Authentic Context. Education Sciences, 14(2), 168. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14020168

Suggested Citation
Ross, E. M., & Malar, D. B. J. (2025). Real Context, Real Engagement. Excellent Educator, 2(9), 3.