Engaging Students through Project-Based Learning during Biology Instruction in Selected Day Lower Secondary Schools in Gasabo District, Rwanda
Nyiraharerimana Christine – African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS),
College of Education, University of Rwanda
Gabriel Nizeyimana – College of Education, University of Rwanda
Email: harerichris1@gmail.com
Abstract: This study examined how Biology teachers engage students through Project-Based Learning (PBL) in six-day lower secondary schools in Gasabo District, Rwanda, guided by three objectives: teachers’ understanding of PBL, their design and implementation of PBL activities, and PBL’s contribution to students’ motivation. A convergent parallel mixed-methods designwas adopted within the pragmatic paradigm, with all 30 Biology teachers in the six schools included through census sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview guide, and a classroom observation checklist, and triangulated across the three sources; quantitative data were analyzed in SPSS Version 26 using descriptive statistics and multiple regression, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Teachers showed a strong theoretical understanding ofPBL (M = 4.00–4.13) but a comparatively weaker command of implementation and assessment procedures (M = 3.70–3.73), a gap attributed to limited time, large classes, and insufficient materials rather than to any deficit in conceptual knowledge. Effective PBL activities were curriculum-aligned, collaborative, inquiry-based, and teacher-facilitated. Authentic, real-life projects emerged as the strongest predictor of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, with the largest effect on cognitive engagement (β = 0.451, p = .001). PBL is an effective, learner-centred approach for engaging Biology students, and its full potential is currently constrained more by institutional and resource conditions than by teachers’ understanding of, or commitment to, the approach. Strengthening teacher capacity in PBL implementation and assessment, and providing adequate instructional time and materials, is recommended.
