Optimization of the PBLCL Teaching Model for High School Chemistry: Development, Implementation, and Pedagogical Insights from a Project-Based Learning Framework

Abstract This study evaluated the effectiveness of a core literacy-based project-based learning (PBL-CL) instructional model tailored for chemistry education in high schools across Northeast China. By adapting the conventional PBL framework to align with regional educational standards and local sociocultural contexts, the study aimed to enhance students’ core literacy competencies particularly in scientific reasoning, evidence-based argumentation, and disciplinary communication while simultaneously fostering greater engagement with chemistry as a subject. Employing a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design, the study compared two cohorts of high school students: one instructed via conventional teacher-centered methods and the other through the PBL-CL model. Results indicated that the PBL-CL group demonstrated statistically significant gains in both core literacy proficiency and scientific engagement relative to the control group. These findings underscore the potential of contextually responsive pedagogical frameworks to improve learning outcomes and sustain student interest in science disciplines, thereby providing empirical support for integrating the PBL-CL model into the secondary chemistry curriculum.