Thesis:

The Impact of a Project-Based Learning Curriculum on Self-Efficacy and Teamwork Skills of Junior High School Students in Sabzevar County During the 2024-2025 Academic Year

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a project-based learning curriculum on the self-efficacy and teamwork skills of first-grade middle school students. This study was applied in terms of its objective and utilized a quasi-experimental methodology with a pre-test/post-test control group design. The statistical population comprised all first-grade middle school students in Sabzevar city during the academic year 2024-2025. From this population, 60 students were selected through stratified sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=30) and a control group (n=30). The experimental group was exposed to a 12-week project-based learning curriculum, while the control group received conventional instruction. Data were collected using the standardized Sherer's General Self-Efficacy Scale (1982) and Lencioni's Teamwork Questionnaire (2002). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS software. The results of the inferential analysis indicated a statistically significant interaction effect between time and group on the combination of dependent variables (Wilks' Lambda = 0.825, F(2, 55) = 5.840, p < 0.05). Univariate analyses further confirmed that the project-based learning curriculum had a significant effect on increasing self-efficacy (F(1, 58) = 18968.446, p < 0.001) and improving teamwork skills (F(1, 58) = 11085.828, p < 0.001) in the experimental group compared to the control group. The calculated effect sizes for both variables were very large, confirming the practical significance of the findings. The study's findings strongly suggest that the project-based learning approach is an effective instructional strategy for simultaneously enhancing students' personal competence beliefs and social skills. By providing a context for gaining mastery experiences and fostering constructive interactions, this approach can be employed as an effective tool for achieving modern educational goals and cultivating a capable and collaborative generation within the educational system.

Keywords: Keywords: Project-Based Learning, Self-Efficacy, Teamwork Skills, First-Grade Middle School Students