Siriwardhana, S; Moehler, R and Fang, Y (2025) Navigating epistemological shifts: Management of skills development in the construction 4.0 era. International Journal of Construction Management, 25(15), pp. 1869-1878. ISSN 1562-3599
Abstract
Construction skills are being transformed by Construction 4.0, which integrates digital technologies to improve productivity. Previous research has predominantly explored technical advancements without epistemological consideration of skills and performance, leaving a paradigmatic gap in understanding the underlying knowledge guiding the management of skills development research. This study aims to bridge the epistemological positions and methodological approaches driving skills development research in Construction 4.0, drawing on a systematic review from 2019 to 2023. The analysis reveals a paradigm shift towards a diverse and integrative epistemological landscape, characterized by increasing adoption of interpretivism and pragmatism alongside traditional positivist perspectives. Specifically, the findings highlight the emergence of pragmatism as the dominant stance, accounting for 42% of research approaches, indicating a move towards practical, solution-oriented research balancing objective analysis with subjective insights. Additionally, there is a notable increase in the use of mixed methods, reflecting a trend towards methodological pluralism that values complementary insights from both qualitative and quantitative data. This study underscores the need for adaptive research frameworks to navigate the epistemological challenges of digital transformation in construction, paving the way for future research that is both theoretically robust and practically relevant.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction 4.0; digital era; epistemology; methodology; skills development |
| Index terms: | construction 4.0, paradigm, pragmatism, paving, emergence, interpretivism, systematic literature review, drawing, accounting, productivity, methodology, digital technology, transformation, epistemology, mixed method, skills development |
| Subjects: | education and knowledge transfer, transportation engineering, business, research methods, knowledge theory, technical documentation, management, systems engineering, personnel development, digital engineering, data collection methods, theoretical framing, computing systems, research evaluation and metrics, philosophical concept, economic analysis |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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