Project-based learning in Chilean vocational secondary schools

The role of collaboration and collective agency for successful implementation

Bibliographic Data

ID21696261
AuthorsÁlvaro González Torres (0000-0001-6225-0409, Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez, corresponding author), Mauricio Pino-Yancovic (0000-0002-4340-7519, University of Chile), Fernanda Corrêa (0009-0001-5427-2912, University of Chile)
Year2026
Volume78
Issue2
Pages227-243
Publication date2026-03-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Vocational Education and Training (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-6820 • E-ISSN: 1747-5090
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13636820.2025.2507586
OpenAlexW4410498482
LanguageEN
References cited29

The goal of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Chile is to prepare students to transition to the labour market as well as progressing to tertiary education, and some vocational secondary schools have engaged in Project-Based Learning (PBL) to achieve this goal. However, there is limited research examining the reasons for adopting PBL, the conditions associated with its implementation and how vocational secondary schools organise internally. This paper explores the experience of three vocational secondary schools that have demonstrated sustained improvement and identify PBL as instrumental for their success. Focus groups with school leaders and teachers were carried out to explore why did schools adopt PBL, what conditions facilitated or hindered its implementation, and how was this organised internally. Findings show that PBL purpose is centred around developing students’ labour competences and autonomy as well as interdisciplinary articulation, while key conditions for its implementation are leadership support, collaborative culture, resources, and professional development and training opportunities. However, the three schools differed in the way they organised internally to implement PBL. The paper discusses the relevance of collaboration and collective agency for the adoption and implementation of PBL in vocational secondary schools, and implications for stimulating the adoption of PBL in similar contexts

Business · Collaborative learning · Knowledge management · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Vocational education · Computer Science · E-Learning and Knowledge Management · Engineering Education and Curriculum Development · Innovative Education and Learning Practices · Psychology

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