Protocol-Guided Learning as a Facilitator of the Integration of Project-Based Learning into Chinese Compulsory Education

Currently, there are growing conversations about how to successfully integrate project-based learning into regular curricular instruction at the compulsory education level in China. Protocol-guided learning, which originated in Chinese basic education, has proven to be one of the most productive teaching methods in recent decades. It shares comparable educational philosophies with project-based learning and has the potential to compensate for the inadequacy of the latter’s application in Chinese compulsory education by providing effective implementation paths for it. The purpose of this article is to reveal the significance of the protocol-guided learning method for the successful implementation of project-based learning in China by pinpointing the issues the project-based learning approach faces, delineating the characteristics of protocol-guided learning, and expounding on its potential roles in supporting the application of project-based learning in Chinese compulsory education schools.