Design and Implementation of Project-Based PAD Teaching Activities for Enhancing Digital Career Awareness: A Case Study of Junior High School Information Technology Curriculum

Abstract

In the digital age, enhancing junior high school students’ digital career awareness is of great significance for them to understand and prepare for future careers. Grounded in constructivism, humanism, and Super’s career development theory, this study integrates project-based learning with the PAD (Presentation–Assimilation–Discussion) class to construct a five-stage instructional activity framework: project introduction, compact lecture with deliberate blanks, internalization and assimilation, discussion and exchange, and feedback and adjustment. Using literature review, action research, questionnaires, interviews, and classroom observations, the study investigated the current state of students’ digital career awareness and conducted three rounds of teaching practice for iterative optimization. The findings indicate significant improvements in students’ general digital career awareness, relevant professional knowledge, awareness of the relationship between self and career, career planning ability, and interest in information technology. Although the awareness of social development trends in career contexts did not reach statistical significance, interviews and artifact analysis revealed positive cognitive changes in students’ areas of interest within digital careers. This study provides an actionable instructional framework and practical reference for digital career awareness education in primary and secondary schools.