The Effects of Project–based Learning on Learning Achievement in the Topic of Environmental Problems and Analytical Thinking Skills for the First Year Vocational Certificate at Ratchaburi College of Agriculture and Technology in Ratchaburi Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to: 1) compare academic achievement on the topic of environmental problems after project-based learning with the 70 percent criterion, and 2) compare students’ analytical thinking skills before and after project-based learning. The sample consisted of 30 first-year vocational certificate students enrolled in the course Energy, Resources, and Environment at Ratchaburi College of Agriculture and Technology during the second semester of the 2023 academic year. The participants were drawn from one class using cluster random sampling. The research instruments included: 1) a project-based learning instructional plan on environmental problems evaluated as highly appropriate, 2) the learning achievement test demonstrated a content validity ranging from 0.67 to 1.00 and a reliability coefficient of 0.833; and 3) the analytical thinking skill test, developed based on Marzano's framework, yielded a content validity ranging from 0.67 to 1.00 and a reliability coefficient of 0.925. The statistical methods used for data analysis included mean, standard deviation, and t-test. 

The research results revealed that: after participating in project-based learning, students’ learning achievement on the topic of environmental problems was significantly higher than the 70 percent criterion at the .05 level; and students’ analytical thinking skills after receiving project-based learning were significantly higher than those before the intervention, at the .05 level.