Résumé:
The skills needed for the new generation make them use their technical potentials to
learn how and where to search for knowledge. Current trends in teaching/ learning have
advocated the use of project work (PW) as a pedagogical activity to foster 21st century students’
motivation. Project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach designed to meet the
needs of today’s students, give students the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills
through engaging projects set around challenges and problems they may face in the real world
in an autonomous manner. It is also one of the student-centered approaches that have been
highly recommended in the new Algerian educational reforms. Thus, the present study delves
into PW and intrinsic motivation. It investigates the attitudes of Algerian students and teachers
towards the use of PBL, and its role in enhancing the intrinsic motivation level of 4th year
middle school (MS) students at Medjili Brothers’ MS in BBA (with some4th year MS teachers
of English ) belonging to the Third District. It seeks to determine the roles teachers can perform
within PBL and whether students and teachers prefer using PBL in their classrooms over
teacher-centered approaches to learning. In this research, teachers’ and students’ questionnaires
were used as tools to collect data and to test the hypotheses that that both teachers and students
may show positive perceptions towards the use of PBL to foster the students’ intrinsic
motivation. The findings revealed that 4th year MS students and teachers hold favorable
attitudes on behalf of this new method (as far as the Algerian context is concerned) to boost the
learning motivation, collaboration and critical thinking skills. At last, since PW is a fundamen tal
aspect of learning/ teaching, we recommend that it should be undertaken through motivation,
interest and encouragement to unblock the various gateways of learners’ motivation,
cooperation and creative thinking.
