Unravelling the Tapestry of Kazakhstan: Enhancing Research Skills with Project-Based Learning and Intelligence

Abstract

The dynamic nature of education is causing traditional teaching methods to change in favor of inclusive, interactive approaches that meet the varied needs of today's students. One prominent example of such an approach is Project- Based Learning (PBL) and Multiple Intelligence (MI), which provides an experiential, collaborative, and interdisciplinary approach to education. The use of PBL in teaching Kazakhstani history at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools is examined in this article, emphasizing how it helps high school students acquire research skills. PBL fosters students' creativity, critical thinking, intelligence, and problem-solving skills by engaging complex, real-world issues. Within the context of PBL, students learn subject content and develop essential skills. They formulate research questions, conduct small-scale studies using sociological research methods, design innovative solutions to problems, and collaborate with their school community. At Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, 12th-grade students undertake coursework in the History of Kazakhstan, aligned with AS-level and A-level international exam standards. They apply the knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired through the research process to their coursework. The research employs quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse the analytical reports of 12th-grade students from Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools based on external summative assessments conducted between 2019 and 2022. The findings indicate that practical experiences with PBL and MI equip students with design and research competencies while fostering creativity, critical thinking, and effective communication. However, creating long-term research projects has revealed a need to enhance students' information and media literacy and critical and creative thinking skills. The authors suggest systematically and regularly integrating the PBL method into history classes in Kazakhstan, ranging from 7th to 12th grade, to address these issues and improve the caliber of coursework. In addition to enhancing students' educational experiences, this proactive approach gives them the information and abilities needed to prosper in a complex, globalized society. This study aims to close Kazakhstan's current knowledge and practice gap. This study aims to investigate the perspectives of educators and learners regarding the advantages and disadvantages of project-based learning (PBL)and MI. This article focuses on integrating PBL into the history curriculum at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, employing a qualitative case study methodology. It focuses on how PBL fosters the growth of research skills in high school students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with educators and students. Following data collection, thematic analysis and coding were applied. The results show that teachers see PBL as a helpful teaching tool that encourages student participation and a deeper comprehension of the subject matter through experiential and self-directed learning. Participants discussed skill development, practical application, and better relationships between students and teachers. However, the study also highlights the challenges teachers face, like time constraints, knowledge gaps, and issues with group projects.