Abstract
The study aimed to investigate how Grade 4 Life Skills teachers within the Ecubed project implemented project-based learning in their classrooms. The selected school for investigation was located in the Modimolle district in Limpopo, South Africa. The study focused on teachers’ interpretation and experience of the project-based learning approach within the Life Skills subject in Term 3 of the school year. Training, teaching and learning materials and other support interventions for implementation were provided to them by Ecubed.
A qualitative approach was employed in this study, and purposeful sampling was used to select three teachers who participated in the research. Three data generation methods were used to gather the data: semi-structured interviews, observations and stimulated-recall interviews. The semi-structured interviews were conducted at the beginning and end of the implementation, which explored teachers’ experiences of the Ecubed training and project-based learning implementation. Stimulated-recall interviews were conducted with the participants of the study after each lesson observation, which took place during the project-based learning training and implementation. Firstly, the teachers were observed as they were trained. Later, one lesson was observed as teachers implemented project-based learning within the three classrooms.
The results showed that the teachers gained an understanding of the elements of project-based learning and improved their ability to enact project-based learning in their classrooms. However, they also expressed factors that inhibited the successful enactment of project-based learning in their classrooms. The study recommends continual research on project-based learning implementation in primary schools within the Ecubed programme. This will provide broader generalisations on teachers’ experiences, understanding and challenges of project-based learning implementation and ways to enhance its implementation.
Key words: Ecubed programme, Life Skills, Limpopo, Modimolle, project-based learning, stimulated-recall interviews