Project-Based Learning in Alternative Secondary Education: Effects on Academic Achievement and Student Engagement

Abstract

Alternative secondary schools serve learners for whom mainstream education has failed, yet instruction in such settings frequently reproduces the transmissive pedagogy associated with students’ original disengagement. This study evaluated project-based learning (PBL) as a systematic alternative. A quasi-experimental design was implemented across two alternative upper-secondary schools serving second-chance learners aged 16–19 (N = 214): six classes (n = 108) completed a 16-week integrated science curriculum organised around four extended projects, while six matched classes (n = 106) covered identical content through conventional instruction. Outcomes comprised a curriculum-aligned achievement test (KR-20 = 0.87), a three-dimensional engagement scale administered at five time points, attendance records, and a retention test eight weeks after the intervention. Controlling for pre-test scores, the PBL group significantly outperformed the comparison group on post-test achievement (adjusted means 74.6 vs 68.2; F(1,211) = 24.7, p < 0.001, d = 0.58) and retained the advantage at follow-up (d = 0.49). Engagement in the PBL group rose steadily across the intervention while remaining flat in comparison classes, with the largest gains in cognitive engagement (d = 0.62); attendance improved by 4.2 percentage points against a stable comparison baseline. Project artefact quality correlated moderately with achievement gains (r = 0.39). The findings indicate that PBL is not merely compatible with alternative education settings but particularly well suited to re-engaging learners whom conventional formats have alienated, and implementation conditions—block scheduling, teacher coaching, and authentic community audiences—are discussed.