Grosse, H (2021) Developing teamwork skills: AEC students writing reflective journals and using action research. In: Scott, L and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 37th Annual ARCOM Conference, 6-7 September 2021, Online Event, UK.
Abstract
Construction is a collaborative endeavour. Therefore, AEC students should learn to critically reflect on interpersonal issues and how they act in teams alongside their technical and scientific training. I teach the required skills and knowledge to attain this, within a master's level course in green building design at a German university, which revolves around a training project. Students design a building in interdisciplinary teams. First, I encourage the students to develop a project schedule and assign responsibilities. Subsequently, they use an action research approach to improve their project management skills. They keep a personal reflective journal throughout the project, enabling them to critically reflect on how they perform individually and how they interact as a group. This journal writing helps them to identify problems and subsequently improve their practice by employing action research. Therefore, my account of how to engage AEC students in critical reflection reveals the challenges and opportunities of this process. Students on my course can struggle to identify the value of reflection and hence problematising their practice. They grab the most readily available solution to their organisational problems without more in-depth investigation. Often tight project schedules restrain their willingness to reflect and make it hard to get them engaged. However, after overcoming initial obstacles, they start to write and use their insights to feedback into their action research projects. Conflicts in the teams are particularly challenging for the students but also unique learning opportunities.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | action research; reflective journals; reflexivity; teamwork; project teams |
| Index terms: | project team, project management, reflection, investigation, green building, journal, action research, reflexivity, teamwork |
| Subjects: | research paradigm research concept, management, design practice, professional development, project management theory and practice, project delivery, data collection methods, research dissemination and communication |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Organizational Design, Project Management, Research Practice, Information Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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