Connecting Sociological Concepts to Students’ Social Worlds: Project-Based Learning and Interactive Digital Pedagogy in an Indonesian Secondary School

Abstract

This qualitative case study examines how project-based learning (PjBL) and interactive digital tools were combined to teach social conflict and deviant behavior at SMA Negeri 3 Padang, Indonesia. Data were drawn from an in-person interview with a sociology teacher, classroom observation, and instructional documents. The analysis shows that learning was organized around recognizable social cases, collaborative interpretation, educational videos, and Quizizz-based formative activities. Digital tools supported problem framing, participation, feedback, and communication, but their use was shaped by unequal participation, device availability, internet connectivity, instructional time, and teacher digital capacity. Students were observed to engage actively in discussions and digital quizzes, although the qualitative design does not permit causal claims about learning gains. The study demonstrates that technology becomes educationally meaningful when it serves disciplinary purposes and is supported by teacher mediation, contextual problem design, and adequate classroom infrastructure. The analysis shows how sociological concepts become more learnable when teachers connect disciplinary abstraction with students’ experiences while preserving analytical rigor.