Unpacking the project-based learning-work readiness mechanism: A multi-stage pathway of cognitive-conative-behavioural integration and externally validated outcomes

Although Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a recognised pedagogical tool, the internal mechanisms translating project experiences into Graduate Work Readiness (GWR) remain a “black box”. This study uses Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986) as its core theoretical basis to develop a conceptual framework for predicting the relationship between students’ perceived impacts of PBL and GWR. It utilises PLS-SEM to analyse respondents’ self-reported data alongside corresponding third-party responses. The study confirms a pathway to learning engagement that drives performance-based academic achievement, but not knowledge-based academic achievement. Furthermore, academic achievement fails to predict third-party GWR, revealing a significant calibration gap in which students consistently underrate their professional capabilities compared with external industry evaluators. The research decodes the psychological mechanisms behind how perception translates into behaviour in the PBL context. It contributes by proposing a dual assessment framework tailored to the field’s specific characteristics, enabling comparison between students’ self-perceptions and objective professional standards.