Exploring the Impact of Project-Based Learning on the Students’ Attitudes towards Physics in Mbale District, Uganda

Robert Wakumire – College of Education (UR-CE)
Dr. Pheneas Nkundabakura – Department of Physics
Abraham Daniel Mollel – African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science University of Rwanda
Cissy Nazziwa – African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science University of Rwanda
Email: wakumire24@gmail.com

Abstract: This study explored the influence of project-based learning (PBL) on students’ attitudes towards physics. The participants were fifty 10th-grade students from a purposively selected school in Mbale district, Eastern Uganda. Participants were randomly distributed to the experimental and control groups using cluster sampling. A mixed-method research approach was adopted. The pretest-posttest non-equivalent quasi-experimental design was used. The experimental group used the PBL approach, while the comparison group followed the conventional approach. An attitudes questionnaire with six items and focus group interview prompts were data collection tools. The survey test was validated by experts and piloted (α= 0.82). Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-tests, and effect size. Findings revealed a significant difference in the average scores of students’ attitudes towards physics in favor of the experimental group. Therefore, the study recommends that science educators should adopt PBL to improve students’ attitudes towards science and physics in particular.