Kramer, S W (2008) Does prior project management work experience have an effect on the academic achievement of university students in the classroom? International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 4(1), pp. 18-33. ISSN 1557-8771
Abstract
This study compared the academic achievement of students who participated in a cooperative education program (co-op students) with that of students who did not participate (nonco-op students). The alternate hypothesis was that students who gained knowledge through co-op work experience would use that knowledge in subsequent coursework and thus would achieve a higher grade point average (GPA) than students who did not participate in the co-op program. Historical data were analyzed for students (N=460) who graduated from the building science program at Auburn University from 1996 to 2000. The independent variable was STATUS (co-op vs. nonco-op), and the dependent variable of academic achievement was measured by the GPA of five sequential project management classes (PM GPA). There was a significant difference between co-op students' and nonco-op students' PM GPA mean scores for two of the four groups studied. The results seem to suggest that the treatment, co-op participation, did not have an effect on the weakest academic group (G1) nor the strongest academic group (G4), but rather influenced the two groups in between (G2 and G3).
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | academic achievement; construction; education; GPA; work experience |
| Index terms: | classroom, program, grade point average, dependent variable, university student, building science, independent variable, project management, academic achievement |
| Subjects: | software systems, project management theory and practice, statistical analysis, construction type, engineering principles, curriculum design, educational resources, assessment methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Construction Technology, Digital Applications, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Education |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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