Sow effort, harvest happiness? – An investigation of effort and satisfaction in a project-based learning context

This paper explores the relationship between effort and satisfaction in an educational context. The authors conducted a study in an introductory macroeconomics course, examining how this relationship varies depending on whether students participated in a project-based learning (PBL) class, which involved teamwork, or a traditional class with individual assignments. The findings indicate that both effort and performance contribute positively to student satisfaction. Notably, performance was found to mediate the relationship between effort and satisfaction most strongly in PBL classes, underscoring the importance of the teaching approach for student satisfaction and motivation. In addition, the study reveals that the perceived meaningfulness or usefulness of a project and project attitude have a more significant impact on satisfaction than acquiring useful skills or teamwork experience. This implies that fostering a greater sense of meaning and importance of tasks can boost satisfaction both directly and indirectly by encouraging increased effort.