Posillico, J J (2023) Development of an interpersonally grounded construction management curriculum foundation model. PhD thesis, Birmingham City University, UK.
Abstract
Purpose: Education is the driving force of higher education institution(s) (HEIs) globally and is critical for student employability and practitioner recruitment. Yet, against this backdrop, research in the field is limited and hitherto, investigations into construction management curriculum development are scant. This research presents a foundational design specification for construction management programme curriculum development and aims to engender wider polemic debate as well as stimulate new insight into current higher education employability preparation practice. Methodology: The overarching epistemology adopts interpretivist, pragmatic and post-positivist philosophical stances to critically analyse extant literature, secondary data and primary data on the foundational skills/competencies of construction management education. Abductive reasoning forms the overarching basis of a new emergent curriculum model that maps interpersonal skills and highlights the critical foundational skills and competencies necessary. Findings: Research findings illustrate that construction management curriculum development lacks a cohesive community of practice and curriculum agenda. Importantly, it appears that although the modern construction manager needs an appreciation of digital technologies under the umbrella of Industry 4.0, their interpersonal skills and competencies were observed to far outweigh and exceed these. Premised upon these findings, the curriculum foundation model developed delineates the four key interpersonal skills and competencies construction management programmes should utilise for developing their curriculum. Originality: This novel research unearths the lack of a cohesive curriculum agenda within construction management education, highlights the importance of interpersonal skills and competencies within the role of construction manager and based upon this, presents a curriculum foundation model.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Shelbourn, M; Edwards, D J and Roberts, C |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | education; higher education; reasoning; skills; specification; employability; recruitment |
| Index terms: | abductive reasoning, digital technology, interpersonal skill, curriculum development, methodology, design specification, construction manager, practitioner, construction management education, programme, reasoning, maps, specification, epistemology, recruitment, investigation, secondary data, higher education, higher education institution, industry 4.0, employability |
| Subjects: | cognitive psychology, professional education, research methods, spatial and geospatial analysis, curriculum development, practitioner, human factors and perception, human resources and leadership, project controls, educational institutions, contractual condition, design practice, management, technology adoption, knowledge theory, computing systems, profession, data collection methods, research design and methodology |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Contract Administration, Time Control, Human Resources, Design Practice, Digital Applications, Education |
| 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