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Article

Open Access

Chinese University Students’ Engagement in Project-Based Learning of English for Academic Purposes

Author(s)

LIU Yalan, ZUO Xiuyuan

Full-Text PDF Download XML 343 Views

DOI:10.17265/1539-8080/2022.09.002

Affiliation(s)

University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

ABSTRACT

The effectiveness of project-based learning (PBL) cannot be separated from each group member’s active engagement which is influenced by multiple factors. This study examines the quality of student engagement in PBL, its influencing factors, and its effect on the final grades of two groups of students enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. Based on the analysis of students’ interactions on social media platforms (i.e., QQ group) and semi-structured interviews, this study found that: (1) The more engaged group perform better in monitoring and interaction; (2) students’ engagement is mainly influenced by the number of professional terms, the quality of online discussions, topic interest, and group leadership; and (3) there is a weak relationship between students’ final grades and engagement. This study provides implications for improving students’ engagement in EAP PBL.

KEYWORDS

engagement, project-based learning, English for Academic Purposes

Cite this paper

US-China Foreign Language, September 2022, Vol. 20, No. 9, 321-329 doi:10.17265/1539-8080/2022.09.002

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