Conference Program

In current learning environments, the need to promote meaningful educational pathways has led to an increasing emphasis on active teaching methodologies. Among these, Project-Based Learning (PjBL; Kokotsaki, Menzies & Wiggins, 2016) stands out as a pedagogical approach capable of placing the student at the center of the instructional process. However, for PjBL to translate into real and profound educational success, it is fundamental to analyze the motivational dynamics that support it.

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of PjBL on student motivation, adopting Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017) as the theoretical framework.

According to SDT, individuals are continuously driven by the need to satisfy three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which are considered essential for growth and well-being. When learning environments are designed to support these psychological needs, the foundation is laid to foster a motivated attitude toward study activities (Reeve et al., 2022).

From a methodological perspective, a systematic review was conducted with the aim of identifying studies demonstrating the effectiveness of PjBL in terms of satisfying basic needs. Having established specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, the analysis focused on 23 papers that confirm a positive relationship between adequately planned PjBL activities and the enhancement of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

The analyzed literature thus highlights that the integrated satisfaction of these three psychological needs increases students’ autonomous motivation.

Within this scenario, the paper also emphasizes how the significant contribution of PjBL does not lie solely in the execution of a “task” or merely in the creation of a final product, but rather in the intentionality with which the process of supporting these needs is nurtured.