Measuring the project-based learning practices of Russian university teachers

Context and relevance. Traditionally, the operationalization of project-based activity among university teachers has been confined to either an inventory of didactic techniques or a delineation of role functions. Yet, should project-based activity be regarded as a distinct construct—namely, a pedagogical competency—it becomes necessary to provide empirical validation of its structure and to demonstrate that each of the selected indicators makes a measurable contribution to the overarching characteristic. Objective. To examine the possibility of regarding the aggregate of project-based practices as a unified construct featuring indicators that are differentiated according to their level of intensity. Hypothesis. Project-based practices can be effectively assessed by means of a vignette-type (scenario-based) instrument. Methods and materials. The developed questionnaire was piloted on a sample of 259 teachers from Russian universities. Results. The created instrument demonstrated the theoretically expected one-dimensionality and high reliability. The results of the analysis showed that the project work of the teachers from the sample rarely goes beyond the university. The least used practices were those of attracting external partners and encouraging student interaction with “customers” or beneficiaries of project results outside the university. The most typical project practice was the product orientation of projects. Teachers with little experience (up to 4 years) use significantly less pronounced forms of project work, but these differences concern only more traditional pedagogical practices: organizing control, presenting project results, organizing reflection on the work done. Conclusions. The findings suggest that project-based practices may be conceptualized as an integrated competency (distinct construct), whose constituent components are mutually related and amenable to reliable measurement through a questionnaire framed as an explicit continuum.

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