Teacher Commitments and Instructional Variation in Project-Based Learning in a Multilingual International School

• In Event: Teachers and teacher education in problem and project based learning evironments

Abstract

This intrinsic case study examines how teachers at a multilingual international school in Hong Kong enact project-based learning (PBL) within a shared philosophical and curricular framework. Drawing on classroom observations and teacher interviews, we analyze variations in dialogic facilitation, feedback, and multilingual support across classrooms. Despite coherence in commitment to PBL’s core features, teachers' instructional practices reflected distinct pedagogical values and disciplinary commitments. Findings suggest that such variation is not a flaw but reflects meaningful ranges of professional judgment and cultural responsiveness. The study contributes to research on PBL and translanguaging by illuminating how values shape instructional enactment in complex educational settings.

Authors

• Christina Krist, Stanford University

• Shuai Xu, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Bee U. Butler, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign