The role of P4C-based teaching in developing listening skills and lesson motivation: a mixed-methods study

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of P4C-based teaching on the development of listening skills and lesson motivation.

The study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. The study group consisted of 48 fifth-grade students (24 in the experimental group and 24 in the control group) enrolled in a state middle school in Turkey. Turkish lessons for the experimental group were conducted over 12 class hours across 6 weeks using lesson content developed according to the P4C Education Program. At the end of the intervention, interviews were conducted with students in the experimental group to determine their views on the P4C applications.

Quantitative findings showed that listening performance and motivation scores increased significantly in the experimental group, while there was only a limited change in the control group. Qualitative data, on the other hand, showed that students were able to focus for longer periods during P4C sessions, understood the coherence of events and texts better, felt more successful and motivated, participated actively in class, and were more willing to listen to their peers.

Research has shown that the intervention, delivered using P4C-based teaching, was significantly associated with an increase in children's listening comprehension skills and their motivation towards the subject. Furthermore, the research showed that P4C supports not only cognitive outcomes but also the affective components of the learning process.