Bridging the Gap: The Impact Project-Based Contextualization has on the Motivation of Junior Technology Students

This study seeks to improve learning motivation of Year 10 Technology students at a secondary school in South Auckland. Despite the emphasis New Zealand schools on university education, majority low-decile do not follow this pathway. The higher education decreases student classroom and highlights economic, qualification, occupational inequities low socio-economic communities. aims help make informed choices for career pathways after school, with an trade apprenticeships as alternative traditional research understand how contextualising curriculum through project-based assignment affects classroom. It also exposing opportunities construction industry aspirations. Students participated visits worksites while working groups design construct seating projects stakeholder their community. project mirrored real-world inquiry project, acting professionals college environment being exposed workplaces. helped them connections between In doing so, they learned both subject knowledge apply that different concepts contexts outside Qualitative quantitative data was collected form journal reflections, surveys, observations before intervention measure change motivations evaluated using Ajzen’s (1991) theory framework analyse factors self-efficacy, social pressures, task-value, added factor cost. findings from showed classwork exposure increased impacted