This article presents the results of a study aimed at understanding potential implications of the project-based approach to teaching science and technology (S&T). A survey of 221 secondary teachers shows that the meaning of this approach hangs on attributes that make it difficult to characterize and differentiate from other pedagogical approaches (e.g. the problem-based approach, interdisciplinarity, strategic teaching, explicit teaching). The objectives that respondents associated with the project-based approach have more to do with socialization than instruction; non-disciplinary skills are perceived to take precedence over teachings specific to S&T. Moreover, the degree to which teachers use this approach trails far behind other approaches that do not compete with subject-specific learning (explicit teaching in particular). The challenges reported by the respondents—especially by the segment of teachers who claimed to have never used this approach—show the need for teacher training on the didactic foundations of this approach and the production of resources that would encourage its use in a way that promotes better learning in S&T. © Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) 2023.
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