Keywords
PBL
Educational Background
How to Cite
Abstract
This study investigates how teachers’ own educational backgrounds shape their perceptions of education and learning within a problem- and project-based learning (PBL) environment. Drawing on a large-scale survey of 895 teaching staff at Aalborg University, we identify a consistent yet modest pattern: AAU‑educated staff place slightly greater emphasis on project-based and collaborative learning, whereas colleagues educated elsewhere assign comparatively more weight to coursework, theoretical grounding, and individual study. These differences suggest that teachers’ prior educational experiences inform pedagogical beliefs. We discuss these results in light of the idea that “teachers teach the way they were taught” and of research showing that teacher beliefs emerge from a complex interplay of prior learning experiences, disciplinary cultures, institutional norms, and workplace conditions. By situating educational background within this wider context and making these perspectives visible, the study adopts a nuanced view and contributes to discussions on faculty onboarding and diversity of teaching practices in pedagogically specific institutions, offering actionable insights for faculty development, onboarding design, and the cultivation of pedagogical cultures capable of leveraging diversity.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Nicolaj Riise Clausen, Mia Thyrre Sørensen, Niels Erik Ruan Lyngdorf