When School Projects Feel Real, Students Learn Better—Here's the Problem

<p>"Authenticity" is often used to discuss the future of education, ever since Dewey’s criticism of schooling in the late 19th century. In this thesis, students attending technology courses at a Swedish upper secondary school were asked about how authentic they perceived an innovation project that they had participated in to be. The two-phase innovation project demanded a large portion of self-governing and creativity. In the first phase, data was collected from 199 students in grade 10 (G10) during three different iterations (2015, 2016 and 2017) as students pursued a five-week innovation project solving problems relevant to their everyday lives. The students perceived this five-week first part as 66 – 68% authentic as defined by Herrington et al. (2010). Engagement in learning activities that are perceived as authentic may be one condition for effective learning (Lave &amp; Wenger, 1991; Radinsky et al., 2001). In the second phase of the innovation project (2017-2018), grade 12 (G12) students solved real world problems presented to them by a municipal company. This part lasted about 5 months and involved 15 students. Eleven students were interviewed in groups. Semi-structured interviews revealed that they had found the first G10 project valuable and felt that it prepared them for the part in G12. Evidence of authenticity linking the G12 part of the project to Herrington’s framework was revealed. In addition, unanticipated themes of authenticity viz. Creativity, Commitment, Ownership of learning, Motivation and Real-world experiences emerged from the analysis. These themes contribute to pursuing a definition of authenticity in technology education and support the framework of authentic school practices proposed by Hill and Smith (2005) as well as the 21st-century skills movement.</p>