A Meta-analysis of Project Based Learning Effects in Vocational High School

Abstract

In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted on a total of 19 papers in order to comprehensively identify and objectively verify the results of individual experimental studies that looked at the effects of project learning after applying project learning in vocational high schools. As a result, first, the overall average effect size of project learning application in vocational high schools was 1.392, indicating that the effect was very large. Subsequently, as a result of examining the effect size for each moderating variable, the effect size for the 3rd grade was the largest by grade. This is a different result from previous studies that the lower the grade, the greater the effect of project learning, and it was found that the specificity of vocational high schools that have practice classes mainly in the third year was applied. By operating class, the effect size of the 12th to 16th sessions was the largest, and by central subject, the architecture subject showed the largest size, and the convergence subject had the smallest effect size. As for the effect size examined by dependent variable, only 5 out of a total of 12 variables showed a significant effect size. The effect size of communication ability was the largest and the effect size of self-efficacy was the smallest. In relation to these results, it was suggested that the teacher's role as a learning facilitator is very important in order to maximize communication skills and improve students’ self-efficacy, and accordingly, teaching strategies are needed.