PriMera Scientific Medicine and Public Health (ISSN: 2833-5627)

Review Article

Volume 5 Issue 4

Learning by Doing: Why Project-Based Learning Proves to Be an Effective Method for Developing Self-regulation and Other Emotional Competencies in Gen Z Students

Martin Sviatko*

October 04, 2024

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Abstract

Purpose: This research paper aims to analyze a project-based learning method and its positive effects on building emotional competencies in Gen Z students. In its initial part, the paper outlines project-based learning as a long-established teaching practice, whose origins can be traced back to antiquity. The paper then narrows its focus onto a method of project-based learning occurring outside of the classroom settings, namely the one adopting the form of community service projects. At its core, the paper concentrates on the effects of community service projects on the development of emotional competencies in project participants, with an added focus on self-regulation, motivation, and social skills in leadership and conflict management.

Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative research paper uses a descriptive research design, centered on a survey developed in line with the related literature. The research data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire, delivered in paper-and-pen format in November and December 2023. In total, 221 full-time university students, aged 17-20, participated in the survey.

Findings: Based on the findings, the paper contends that community service projects not only provide Gen Z students with ample opportunities for social and emotional learning, but more crucially, project implementation proves to have positive effects on students’ emotional competencies, which include self-regulation, motivation, leadership, and conflict management.

Originality/value/implications: In its conclusion, the paper argues that project-based learning is an effective teaching method that allows project participants to acknowledge and cultivate feelings about themselves, their peers, or the communities they serve. When considering its maximum potential, project-based learning can also be viewed as a vital tool in combating those social and emotional deficiencies that may prevent members of this recently emerged demographic cohort from realizing their full potential.

Keywords: project-based learning; gen Z students; self-regulation; motivation; social skills; leadership; conflict management

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