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The heart of engineering lies in problem solving. Critical thinking and mathematical thinking are inexorably linked and indispensable in complex engineering problem solving. However, the preparedness of prospective engineers in terms of having the required skills to face future challenges in the engineering workplace is still questionable and worri...
Citations
... In turn, the obtained concepts and their categories were examined against the text, particularly against passages that differ from those that generated them. In this iterative process of induction and deduction, nodes around a phenomenon or core concept were grouped until all of them were applied to each concept category (Osman et al. 2020). In NVivo 11, 624 concepts were grouped into 57 concept categories, and the occurrence frequency of concepts under each category was counted, as shown in Table 2. ...
Large airport operational readiness (LAOR) is a critical factor that directly impacts the opening of airports to the public. However, limited research exists on the risks affecting LAOR schedules. This article explores the risk breakdown structure and risk interactions model of LAOR schedule risk. An empirical investigation was conducted on four large hub airports from 2009 to 2021 using grounded theory procedures. The study identified 21 risk factors categorized into management (highest frequency), technical, process, participant, and environmental risks (lowest frequency), which implied that risks primarily existed within a project rather than in the external environment. A systematic model incorporating risks and their interactions revealed that the primary risk transfer path was from the subject subsystem (participant risk) to the object subsystem (technical and process risk). The findings expand the knowledge domain of infrastructure risk and provide pragmatic risk evaluation and response guidelines.
... Next is thinking skills. Critical thinking and mathematical thinking are closely related and indispensable in solving complex engineering problems, including civil engineering [31]. Thinking skills in civil engineering, critical and mathematical, are often referred to as design thinking [32] and higher-order thinking [33]. ...
This study aims to explore the competency mastery of prospective civil engineers based on the 3rd edition of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge and predict the future skills needed for prospective civil engineers in the next 10-20 years. A quantitative approach with a survey method was carried out to answer the first research objective. The questionnaire is filled out by prospective civil engineers who are final-year students of bachelor’s in civil engineering. Next, a descriptive analysis was conducted to provide an overview of the mastery of competencies. Finally, the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method was carried out to answer the second research objective. The analyzed literature uses the Scopus Database with keywords that describe future work skills and competencies. Then the articles were then filtered using the PRISMA Diagram and analyzed with the help of the R program to produce a word cloud that describes the types of future skills needed. The research results show that 1) civil engineer candidates must increase competence in the application of natural sciences, humanities aspects for Civil Engineering, mechanics and fluids problems, formulation of solutions to problems relevant to Civil Engineering, engineering economics, probability concepts, and statistics. 2) They must develop future skills needed for prospective civil engineers: critical thinking, communication, professionalism, problem-solving, leadership, teamwork, collaboration, and the principle of sustainability. The findings of this study serve as evaluation material and recommendations for civil engineering education providers to prepare prospective civil engineers with a global outlook.
... Data obtained from the snowball sampling and scientometric analysis conducted revealed underlying patterns and new knowledge that formed the basis of a conceptual curriculum development model. Grounded theory is an established research strategy within built environment literature and has been used to: explore the lived experience of engineering educators implementing problem-based learning in the classroom (Chance et al., 2019); develop a maths-related critical thinking theory for civil engineering design practices (Osman et al., 2020); and develop a mitigation methods map framework for the agile-hybrid management of projects (Sithambaram et al., 2021). ...
Purpose
This research aims to present a conceptual model for construction management programme curriculum development from the perspective of higher education institutes (HEIs) and aims to engender wider polemic debate and stimulate new insight into current higher education practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The overarching epistemology adopts both interpretivist and pragmatist philosophical stances, couched within grounded theory, to critically analyse extant literature on construction management curriculum development. Inductive reasoning forms the basis of new emergent theory that maps curriculum development and highlights the external and internal factors impacting upon such.
Findings
Research findings illustrate that the prevailing body of knowledge lacks a cohesive nucleus of research on construction management curriculum development. Rather, bespoke curriculum development research predominates in uncommunicative silos. Premised upon these findings, the conceptual curriculum model developed defines and delineates the universal internal factors (e.g. student marketplace, course leadership and academic precedents) and external factors (e.g. accreditation, construction industry and professional bodies) that impact upon curriculum development. Identification of these factors provides a sound basis upon which further research can be propagated to enhance curriculum development and unify the current disparate approaches adopted.
Originality/value
This novel research highlights the lack of a cohesive agenda for curriculum development within mainstream construction management literature and based upon this, a conceptual model for future empirical analysis and testing is presented.
... Prospective engineers who will work in the field of engineering still face difficulties in learning mathematics (Osman, Mohammad, Abu, & Mokhtar (2020) ;Vitasari, Wahab, Herawan, Othman, & Sinnadurai, 2010;). Engineering students were found to have a negative attitude in addition to a low level of understanding of the subject of mathematics (Kargar, Tarmizi, & Bayat, 2010). ...
Mathematical anxiety is a negative emotion experienced towards mathematics, which can influence a student's achievement in the subject. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the relationship of mathematical anxiety with the achievement of engineering students at local universities. The design of the survey study used a quantitative approach and was conducted to obtain the necessary information. The Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (RMARS) questionnaire containing 35 items and using a five-point Likert scale was distributed to a total of 293 respondents who were selected through simple random sampling. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis, and inference and regression. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 23.0 was used to analyse the study data and then answer the research questions. The findings of the study revealed that the level of mathematical anxiety among engineering students was at a high level. In addition, the study showed that there was no significant relationship between mathematical anxiety and achievement of engineering students in terms of RMARS (r = 0.051, p = 0.381), GM (r = 0.102, p = 0.982), CM (r = 0.074, p = 0.205), and SE (r = 0.187, p = 0.001). A proposed improvement which could be implemented in future studies would be to increase the size of the sample and universities involved to study aspects of mathematical anxiety among engineering students. It is hoped that this study will be able to provide information to universities so that moral support can be provided to engineering students who have a high level of mathematical anxiety. Furthermore, this study is also expected to be a guide for further research in an effort to identify the factors that motivate engineering students to overcome the problem of mathematical anxiety.
Construction is a dynamic sociotechnical process, consisting of ongoing interdependencies between people and the built environment. Accordingly, finding solutions to construction challenges when they arise requires understanding the interactions between social and technical factors. Over the past three decades, qualitative methods have been increasingly applied in construction engineering and management (CEM) research to understand challenges within this industry. However, there remains a lack of resources in the CEM literature on qualitative method selection and implementation specifically applicable to this domain. Without such guidance, it can be challenging to choose the most appropriate research methods, which can limit theoretical and practical contributions. To begin to address this gap, this paper offers an overview and comparison of three qualitative data analysis techniques - ranging in their use of induction, prevalence in CEM research, and ability to answer different types of research questions. These analysis techniques are applied to the same semi-structured interview data drawn from a case study on water infrastructure in rural Alaska. Insights gained from each method are compared to illustrate the utility of each technique. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first qualitative method-comparison paper published for a CEM audience. Based on the comparison findings, choosing a deductive content analysis can allow for full characterization and quantification of a data set and discussion of results in relation to a predefined framework, such as a framework based on design and construction standards. A hybrid content analysis can expose new, detailed insights for an existing framework by allowing emergent themes to arise and be quantified. Conversely, a constant comparative analysis can reveal emergent trends and uncover the reasons why these trends occur based on connections between prominent themes, which can help CEM researchers develop new theories. Overall, this study helps advance the sociotechnical side of CEM research by enabling the discipline to better address the industry's complex challenges.
