Teacher Perceptions on the Impact of Project Based Learning on Students Experiencing School Challenges

Academic achievement gaps are most evident in the socio-economic background of disadvantaged students when compared to economically advantaged students. For students that have been expelled from their district of residence, a wide achievement gap can be highly notable. Although there is no single solution that will entirely close the achievement gap, there are several solutions that can help narrow the problem. Effective instructional practices can be implemented in the classroom to help increase student engagement and achievement. Students attending Community Day Schools in this district of study have been expelled from their district of residence. Students experiencing increased behavior and academic needs result in low student success. The focus of this research is to examine how teachers in a Community Day School understand Project Based Learning components and their impacts on student engagement and achievement. A growing body of research indicates that this instructional strategy is successful in comprehensive K-12 school settings and can improve student engagement, motivation, and academic achievement. However, there is limited research on the impacts of Project Based Learning in alternative education placements. This study is significant because it will add to the limited research in alternative education placements. The methodology used in this research is a qualitative case study. To understand the impacts of Project Based Learning in an alternative education placement, teachers in a Community Day School participated in an open-ended survey. Based on teacher perceptions, we can examine the impacts of Project Based Learning on students experiencing academic and behavior challenges, based on teachers’ perceptions.