Weirs, J (2021) From student to young professional: Exploring the impact of work-based placements on the transformation of undergraduate construction students. DProf thesis, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, UK.
Abstract
From education to accountancy, nursing to tourism, literature is awash with studies relating to work-based placements yet there appears to be little which specifically addresses the construction industry. Work-based placement literature often argues that students return to university from their placement a different person, somehow transformed. However, the majority of this literature focusses on the transformative outcome, with little empirical research investigating the transformational process itself. The following thesis offers a phenomenological study which seeks to address these two gaps in knowledge by exploring the transformational journey upon which construction undergraduates travel during a work-based placement. Framed within Jack Mezirow’s transformative learning theory, it investigates work-based placements from the student’s perspective, examining the issues they face and searching for answers to how and if a placement can affect the transformation of students. A mixed methods approach consisting of semi-structured interviews and a self-administered explorative questionnaire was used to examine the experiences of placement students before and after their placement. The qualitative data were subjected to a thematic analysis to establish key themes, while the quantitative data were subjected to a series of statistical tests and summaries to uncover patterns, associations and differences. The data revealed that at the beginning of their placement students had an overwhelming sense of inadequacy, a lack of confidence and an uncertainty as to how they would perform and, while learning was clearly taking place, at times it was almost on an ad-hoc basis. Transformation was occurring but many students were unaware of this change. There were many factors which contributed to their transformation with the key finding being a self-perpetuating cycle of an increase in knowledge and experience leading to increased confidence which gradually changed them from student to young professional.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Atkins, L; McCusker, S and Cole, S |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | education; uncertainty; learning; professional; thematic analysis; interview |
| Index terms: | phenomenological study, undergraduate, questionnaire, learning theory, transformation, placement, face, mixed method, construction industry, interview, thematic analysis, tourism, statistical test |
| Subjects: | business, industry analysis, data collection methods, management, psychology, statistical analysis, learning theory, curriculum development, methods and analysis |
| Topics: | Education, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Human Resources, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here