Implementing Project-Based Learning in A Graduate Pathways Program

Natalya Watson, Northeastern University of Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Veronika Maliborska, Northeastern University of Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Project-based language learning (PBLL) is an exploratory and experiential student-centered teaching approach that fosters intrinsic motivation, critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication skills (Beckett, 2005; Wale & Bishaw, 2020). The key features of project-based learning include language learning in an authentic context, extended activities lasting several weeks, and a range of individual or collaborative tasks. In this teaching model, instructors become co-constructors of their students’ knowledge, helping them plan and conduct their inquiry, and provide feedback at every stage.

Implementing project-based learning in ESL and ESP courses for graduate students allows them to learn discipline-specific language and content while investigating current topics within their field of study. Student projects in our courses typically follow the five-stage PBLL framework proposed by Stoller and Myers (2019): preparation, information gathering, information processing, dissemination, and reflection. This iterative approach not only guides students through their projects but also informs language instructors’ planning, implementation, and assessment strategies.

To mitigate the risk of drifting off-task, a common criticism of PBLL, we deliberately structure each stage with scaffolding activities and checkpoints to ensure focus and direction. Ongoing assessment and revisions ensure students’ understanding of content language and promote written proficiency development. From the onset of the project, students complete weekly reflective course journal entriesdocumenting project details that allow teachers to track students’ progress. The course journal also serves as a formative assessment tool, helping instructors to identify challenges and adjust instruction as needed. Below we describe how project-based learning can be applied in a pathways program (Global Pathways at Northeastern University) for international graduate students and discuss every stage of the process using an example of a student’s experience. We present a course project completed by David (pseudonym), a student from Saudi Arabia specializing in management, to illustrate how PBLL is integrated into our curriculum.

Preparation

Research on the effectiveness of project-based learning includes both individual and group projects across a variety of disciplines (Kavlu, 2020; Shin, 2018). While the projects in our course are individual, students have opportunities to collaborate at various stages. We have also designed a mentorship program for this course where we match pathways students (mentees) with graduate students from similar disciplines who have completed at least one semester of coursework (mentors). Mentors support our students throughout the entire project and meet with their mentees on a weekly or biweekly basis. The preparation stage is particularly collaborative. David was paired up with a student in his final semester of graduate school, while his instructor collaborated with faculty from his discipline to gather pertinent resources and current key topics in the field. David focused on managers’ leadership qualities as his topic. Leveraging our partnership with the University Experiential Learning Center and an extensive network of professionals, we connected David with five employees in leadership positions across different companies who agreed to participate in his interviews.

The project should engage students in constructing and answering research questions based on real-world problems within their disciplines, which requires them to have background knowledge of the topics they want to research. To develop manageable and relevant research objectives, David practiced critical thinking skills while refining broad ideas into specific, actionable research objectives and transforming them into meaningful interview prompts. This stage also revealed an unexpected challenge: despite his fluency in spoken English, David struggled with the grammatical accuracy and content of his questions. Because such errors persisted among students, the instructor introduced a mini-lesson on research and interview question formulation, focusing on socio-pragmatic features of a business meeting setting, structural accuracy, and the use of goal-oriented verbs such as determine, explore, find out, and evaluate. These sessions also included strategies for structuring open-ended and clarifying questions, eliciting facts, and asking for opinions. The planning stage concludes with a formal project proposal.

Information Gathering

During the information-gathering stage, spanning three weeks, David conducted five interviews, documenting his findings through memo-style notes that he shared with peers in class. He supplemented these interviews with direct observations of his interviewees’ interactions with employees at job sites and an analysis of internal communications, such as company memos and letters. For David, the interview experience was among the most transformative elements of his project, particularly in terms of language learning. Conducting interviews allowed him to engage with professionals whose diverse linguistic backgrounds presented both challenges and learning opportunities. One of his interviewees, a manager who was originally from Latvia, spoke English with a distinct accent, requiring David to adapt his listening strategies. Another interviewee posed a different challenge. The lead engineer spoke in a regional dialect unfamiliar to the student which made note-taking and analyzing the interview a daunting task. These experiences immersed David into the cultural and linguistic diversity of the American work environment, requiring him to seek clarification and adjust his communication strategies in real-time.

Information Processing

The information-processing stage takes place concurrently with data collection, resulting in continuous reflection and synthesis. Through structured journaling and short reports, David reviewed the information he had gathered, identifying patterns and emerging themes. After another teacher-led tutorial as a scaffolding activity, David learned to extract relevant details, categorize data, and synthesize findings based on his research questions. One particularly revealing aspect of his analysis involved written communication, such as company memos. The documents, provided by different interviewees, demonstrated how leadership style manifests through language. One memo adopted an optimistic tone, highlighting the organization’s achievements and downplaying potential concerns. In contrast, a second document, written by the Latvian immigrant, was factual and devoid of affective language. These textual differences reflected not only the writers’ communication preferences but also their underlying system of beliefs about leadership styles whereby one leader employed encouragement and recognition strategies, while the other one prioritized procedural clarity.

Dissemination: Graduate Student Research Conference

At the dissemination stage, David compiled his findings into an extended project report and prepared a conference presentation. At the end of the semester, students present their projects in class, and the best examples are recommended for the Graduate Student Research Conference our program organizes to showcase students’ accomplishments. Since a conference includes presenters from the Global Pathways program and other graduate programs, it provides students with an opportunity to share their research with a broader audience, network with students and professors from other programs, and learn about the projects of senior peers. For David, the conference presentation was the highlight of his Global Pathways experience shared with his family members who were able to watch his presentation via livestream.

Reflection

The end-of-semester course reflection, the final stage, encourages students to critically evaluate their learning. In the reflection, done in the form of a peer podcast interview, students discuss their experiences and analyze the transformative change in content competence, language proficiency, research skills, and communication strategies. For David, a key takeaway from his project was a growing understanding of business operations and increased awareness of linguistic diversity in professional settings. His reflections pointed to the interplay between affect,cognition, motivation, and behavior, demonstrating how language is not merely a tool for information exchange but a medium for shaping identity and relationships within professional contexts.

This course project reaffirms how PBLL can shift classroom-bound language learning to an authentic, experiential model. By engaging with real-world materials, conducting fieldwork, and interacting with professionals, students develop linguistic competence, critical thinking, and adaptability necessary for success beyond the academic setting.

References

Beckett, G. H. (2005). Academic language and literacy socialization through project-based instruction: ESL student perspectives and issues. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 15(1), 191-206. https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.15.1.12bec

Kavlu, A. (2020). The effect of project-based learning on first-year undergraduate students in English for specific purposes (ESP) courses. International Journal of English Linguistics, 10(4), 227-239. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v10n4p227

Shin, M. H. (2018). Effects of project-based learning on students' motivation and self-efficacy. English Teaching, 73(1), 95-114. https://doi:10.15858/engtea.73.1.201803.95

Stoller, F. L., & Myers, C. C. (2019). Project-based learning: A five-stage framework to guide Teachers. In A. Gras-Velazquez (Ed.), Project-based learning in second language acquisition: Building communities of practice in higher education (pp. 25-47). Routledge.

Wale, B. D., & Bishaw, K. S. (2020). Effects of using inquiry-based learning on EFL students’ critical thinking skills. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 5, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00090-2

Dr. Natalya Watson is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Global Pathways Program, Northeastern University of Boston. She teaches academic writing and research skills to international students. Her research interests include project-based language learning, language learner and teacher identity, and genre pedagogy.

Dr. Veronika Maliborska is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Global Pathways and NU Immerse programs at Northeastern University. Her research interests include second language writing, the learning potential of writing, the pedagogical potential of individual conferences in ESL courses, and the identity formation of international students in graduate research courses.