Pembelajaran Berbasis Proyek vs Pembelajaran dengan Metode Pelatihan dalam Menghasilkan Kecakapan Akademik, Teknikal, dan Pemecahan Masalah Bidang Permesinan

Abstract

The present study aims at examining (1) the effectiveness of the Project-Based Learning as an alternative method to develop the learners’ academic knowledge, technical skills, and problem solving skills and (2) the validity of the Project-Based Learning in accomodating the learners’ learning styles. The study employed the static-group comparison design to examine comparative effects of three independent variables under investigation: academic knowledge, technical skills, and problem-solving skills. The subjects of the study consist of two intact groups of the students of Diploma III Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, State University of Malang. The treatment was carried out during 16 effective meetings of a 6 hour-semester session per day of a 50-minute session or equivalent to effective 80-hour sessions. The validity of the Project-Based Learning over the Training Method is also evaluated on the basis of the accommodating power of the method for the students’ learning styles. The findings of the present study revealed several points as follows: (1) students’ academic knowledge on the concept and principles and solving the problems of mechanical engineering in the group employing the Project-Based Learning excelled that of the students learning in the Training Method group; (2) the students’ technical skills in operating machinery in the Training Method group was better than those of the students in the Project-Based Learning group; (3) In the achievement of academic knowledge and problem solving, the learning model didn’t interact with learning style, however the Project-Based Learning accomodated students better in employing their active-reflective learning styles as well as sequential-global learning styles than the Training Method did; (4) In the achievement of technical skills, the learning model didn’t interact with learning style, however the Training Method does accomodated students better in employing their learning styles than the Project-Based Learning did.