Opportunities, Access, and Appropriation: Student Engagement in the Practices of Project-Based Classroom Communities

• In Event: Innovation in Research on the Role of Context in Engagement

Abstract

Nasir and Hand (2008) suggest three aspects of participation that will help foster engagement and identity development: “(a) access to the domain, (b) opportunities to take on integral roles, and (c) opportunities for self-expression in the practice” (p. 143). Project-based curricula enact these opportunities, working under the premise that project-based curricular designs are more engaging and thus create deeper learning. This study looks at how, in practice, 8 students engaged in an Advanced Placement (AP) project-based classroom. We look at both the opportunities for engagement afforded by the course structure and how those opportunities for engagement were taken up in a classroom. Findings indicate the influence of social practices and positioning in determining the value of academic practices.

Authors

• Kendall Becherer, University of Washington - Seattle

• Gavin Tierney, University of Washington