Impact of PBL on engineering students' motivation in the GCC region: Case study

In order to identify the impact of PBL on students' motivation to learn at an institution of higher education in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) was applied. The aim is to analyze, longitudinally, the changes of students' perception of the three psychological needs of the SDT (perceived autonomy support, competence, and relatedness to fellow learners) as well as the students' learning motivation, by comparing student perceptions after completing the first semester, with their perceptions after completing the third semester. Students' perceptions are measured using a 7-point Likert scale and descriptive and inferential statistics are applied, as is an analysis of correlations between the constructs of the framework. It is found that the learning motivation improved and students' perceived autonomy support increased significantly. Furthermore, correlations suggest that students derive their perceived competence more from learning facilitators as opposed to peers and that perceived competence has some positive impact on learning motivation. This study is part of an ongoing research effort related to novice project-based learners in the GCC region.