The Influence of Learning Engagement and Self-Efficacy on Core Vocational Competencies in Project-Based Learning: Evidence from Four Vocational Colleges in Baotou, China
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
บทคัดย่อ
The rapid development of artificial intelligence and the digital economy has increased the demand for adaptive competencies in vocational education. Although Project-Based Learning (PBL) is widely regarded as an effective instructional approach, the mechanism through which it contributes to the development of Core Vocational Competencies remains insufficiently understood. This study aimed to examine the relationships among PBL, learning engagement, self-efficacy, and Core Vocational Competencies among higher vocational college students. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 481 students from four higher vocational colleges in Baotou City, China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed research model. The results revealed that PBL significantly and positively influenced learning engagement (β = 0.42, p < .001), while learning engagement significantly influenced Core Vocational Competencies (β = 0.63, p < .001). Learning engagement was found to fully mediate the relationship between PBL and Core Vocational Competencies, with the indirect effect accounting for 70.3% of the total effect. In addition, self-efficacy significantly moderated the relationship between learning engagement and competency development (β = 0.14, p < .01). The findings also revealed a structural imbalance characterized by high behavioral engagement but relatively low emotional engagement. Furthermore, students who participated in two to three PBL experiences demonstrated significantly higher competency gains, whereas additional participation produced diminishing returns. The findings suggest that PBL does not directly develop Core Vocational Competencies; rather, its effectiveness operates through the activation of learning engagement and the reinforcement of self-efficacy. The study contributes to the literature by advancing a mechanism-oriented understanding of PBL and provides practical implications for vocational education reform, particularly in strengthening emotional engagement, cognitive scaffolding, and quality-oriented PBL implementation.
Article Details
เอกสารอ้างอิง
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215.
Bell, S. (2010). Project-based learning for the 21st century: Skills for the future. The Clearing House, 83(2), 39-43.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Macmillan
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59-109.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage.
Kokotsaki, D., Menzies, V., & Wiggins, A. (2016). Project-based learning: A review of the literature. Improving Schools, 19(3), 267-277.
Ministry of Education. (2019). Implementation Plan for the Reform of National Vocational Education (State Council Document No. 4 [2019]).
Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2016). Self-efficacy theory in education. In KR Wentzel & DB Miele (Eds.), Handbook of motivation at school (2nd ed., pp. 34-54). Routledge.
Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. Autodesk Foundation.
Wang, M. T., & Eccles, J. S. (2012). Adolescent behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement trajectories in school and their differential relations to educational success. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22(1), 31-39.
