Özet:

There is extensive theoretical and practical research devoted to the purpose for implementing various pedagogies of engagement for student-centered learning. This article presents a phenomenological study of preservice teachers’ cognitive and affective behavioral changes after participating in a semester-long project-based learning (PBL) experience.  Forty-seven undergraduate education majors seeking certification in early childhood-6th-grade education who were enrolled in an early childhood education course participated in a PBL pedagogical approach to learning. Participants' shared their previous experiences with teaching and learning had been traditional approaches which were teacher-centered and teacher-directed. At the end of the semester and completion of their projects, students were asked to respond in writing to the following questions: Reflecting over the past semester, how do you think you have or have not changed from when you entered this course?  Why do you think you have or have not changed? Responses to the questions revealed students were challenged by the student-centered approach to learning and preferred it versus traditional approaches. Findings of this phenomenological study illustrate the emergence of five themes based on students' perceptual changes after their semester-long experiences with PBL: autonomy, mastery, purpose, perspective taking, and evaluation. The themes align with the pedagogical principles of engagement identified in PBL and are consistent with skills needed for critical thinking and paradigm shifts in education to prepare individuals for advances in a global society.

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