| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the present study was to analyse and describe students' and teachers' conceptions on project- based learning, counselling and the skills generated by project learning. The theoretical backround of the study dealt with the central qualities of project learning on the basis of previous research, the theoretical foundations of project learning as well as on the basis of the central elements of studying. Projects are also seen as a pedagogical solution for polytechnic studies. Another central issue were the skills generated by project studies. This meant sorting out the conceptual basis of the skills needed in working life as well as reflecting on expertise, professional innovation and project skills. The third issue was the counselling of project studies. Counselling was looked at from the point of view of the basic counselling elements and the role of the counsellor. The data used in the study came from the learning diaries written by students (55) who had worked in the project from questionnaires (11) and interviews (15) intended to complement the diaries. In addition, videotaped interviews (19) and theme questionnaires (14) for teachers were used. The data was analysed with the help of the phenomenographic analysing method. According to the results, project studies were a new experience and different from traditional practice and other studies. The learning process proceeded from setting the goals through choosing the methods, acting and finally to the assessment of learning, skills and the attainment of goals. The setting of the goals was described in terms of four main categories which were learning orientation, social orientation, professional orientation and activity orientation. The goal setting was based on the curricular, the project, the client, the team and the student points of view. The project learning methods were described in terms of four main categories: the strategies of knowledge acquisition, strategies of resource management, social strategies and operational strategies. Withregard to learning, the categories were learning styles, social activities, professional operations and the control of activity. The assessment of project learning was done from the points of view of self-assessment, feedback, the goals attainment and of the skills generated by project learning. The entity of working life skills was formed by uniting the categories describing procedural knowledge, so called know-how. The categories describing counselling were based on the different roles of counselling: initiation, motivation, construction of knowledge, substance, organisation, support, reflection and team leadership. The results formed the basis of the instructions for project studies and their pedagogical modelling. On the basis of the results of the study a model of project pedagogy was suggested. The model makes it possible to carry out project studies in a goal-oriented, organised and systematic manner. The model is an example of the implementation of project studies in a polytechnic. | en |
