Pedagogical Mechanisms For Shaping Students’ Independent Learning Motivation Through Project-Based Learning

Abstract

Independent learning motivation has become a pivotal outcome of higher education because students increasingly face complex, open-ended tasks that require initiative, persistence, and self-regulation beyond formal classroom requirements. Project-based learning (PBL) is widely promoted as a powerful instructional approach for developing these qualities, yet its motivational effects are not automatic and depend on specific pedagogical mechanisms embedded in project design and facilitation. This article analyzes how PBL can shape students’ independent learning motivation through interconnected psychological and instructional pathways. Drawing on contemporary motivation and self-regulation frameworks, the study conceptualizes independent learning motivation as a dynamic system that includes autonomous goal commitment, perceived competence, task value, and sustained self-regulatory behavior. A mixed-method, design-informed implementation in an undergraduate context is used to illustrate how particular PBL features function as motivational mechanisms. The mechanisms include autonomy-supportive choice structures, competence scaffolding with gradual release of responsibility, formative feedback loops that strengthen self-efficacy, socially mediated regulation in teams that promotes accountability, and structured reflection that consolidates metacognitive control. Findings indicate that when projects are authentic, appropriately challenging, and accompanied by transparent criteria and coaching, students show stronger persistence, higher perceived agency, and increased engagement in self-initiated learning activities beyond assigned tasks. The article concludes by outlining implications for PBL design in universities and proposes a mechanism-oriented perspective for evaluating motivational outcomes.