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Abstract

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an active and constructive approach to engineering education in which students are asked to work on problems without predetermined solutions in a problem-solving context. This paper has attempted to investigate the potential impact of PBL on the development of necessary engineering competencies in Indian school students, who constitute a crucial part of the country's potential innovative power base. Using the Hindi versions of 111 science and engineering project documents, this study qualitatively analyzed three of them to examine the projects—Building a Simple Electric Motor, Investigating Sliding Friction on an Inclined Plane, and Designing a Hydrometer Using Plastic Balls. The findings lead to the conclusion that these projects indeed embody fundamental engineering concepts such as electromagnetism, mechanics, and fluid dynamics, while fostering technical competency, creativity, and cooperative problem-solving as reflected in their design structure and projected outcomes. However, substantial barriers to implementing this reform in the Indian context exist, such as resource constraints, an exam-oriented curriculum, and inadequate teacher preparation, as demonstrated by the analysis. The study argues that PBL is a powerful pedagogical tool for transforming engineering education in developing countries, while suggesting relevant measures such as teacher training, curriculum inclusion, policy advocacy for experiential learning, and industry collaboration in these countries to address these challenges. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of PBL to foster innovation among future engineering graduates in India, a relevant contribution to the national education agenda in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 as well as global discussions on experiential learning

Keywords

Project-Based Learning Engineering Education Indian Secondary Schools Experiential Learning Resource Constraints

How to Cite

Citation Format
Singh, V. (2025). Advancing Engineering Innovation through Project-Based Learning: A Qualitative Analysis of Experimental Applications in Indian Secondary Education. International Journal Education and Computer Studies (IJECS), 5(2), 114-126. https://doi.org/10.35870/ijecs.v5i2.4443

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Author Biography

Vikram Singh, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India

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Copyright (c) 2025 Vikram Singh

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This is an open-access journal distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, and adaptation in any medium (even commercially), provided appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated. Authors retain copyright without restrictions and grant the journal the right of first publication as well as non-exclusive publishing rights for archiving, indexing, and scholarly dissemination.

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