PROJECT WORK QUALITY: THROUGH STUDENTS’ EYES

Abstract

The Department of History of Kazakhstan and Social-Political Disciplines continues to employ a variety of innovative teaching methods to improve the quality of students’ learning. The authors explore students’ experiences, including the challenges they face and the opportunities available to them in the course of project work. In order to examine this theme in depth, the study focused on students’ own evaluation of their projects. Authors decided to explore the point behind the students’ confident statement "we did a great job" or "we are unsatisfied." Thus, the aim of the study to scrutinize the meaning behind the students' assessment of their project. This is a qualitative study with mixed-methods design. The total number of survey participants in the 2020-2021 academic year - 194. In the 2021-2022 academic year, three focus group interviews were conducted among 11 students. Focus group interview questions were based on the survey responses. The survey responses have revealed that the majority of students, 92% (178), perceived the project work positively. The focus group interviews highlighted that students interested in a work that they did as a group, sought additional information, and conduct a survey among peers. The remaining 11% (21) perceived the project work negatively, due to some difficulties. There were a lot of disagreements among students, the motivation of the students within the groups was low, and the feeling of competition prevailed, rather than completing the tasks well.