THE IMPACT OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING ON EFL STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILL: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Abstract
This research is a systematic literature review on the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in improving students’ writing skills. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in exploring innovative and student-centered approaches like PBL, especially in response to the increasing emphasis on 21st-century skills and communicative competence in EFL instruction. This review analyzed 20 peer-reviewed studies published between 2017 and 2025, selected based on predefined inclusion criteria such as empirical focus on PBL in EFL writing, accessibility in full text, and relevance to student outcomes. Data from various sources such as Scopus, DOAJ, and Google Scholar were reviewed in depth to identify empirical findings relevant to the implementation of PBL in the context of teaching writing. The evaluation results show that PBL consistently has a positive impact on improving the quality of student writing, both in terms of structure, cohesion, and coherence. In addition, this study identified a number of challenges in the implementation of PBL, such as time constraints, teacher readiness, and ability gaps among students. The findings confirm the importance of institutional support and adaptive learning strategies in implementing PBL to optimize the development of EFL students' writing skills effectively and sustainably.
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