Educational Theory-Integrated Construction Industry Training: State-of-the-Art Review

Abstract

Workforce training is needed throughout the construction industry to create and maintain competent workers; unfortunately, most construction training and education research focuses on university student education. Integrating education science theory into construction training has the potential to improve industry training, but the status of this integration has not been well articulated. To address this gap, this article undertakes a state-of-the-art review of education theory–integrated construction training for current industry professionals. To measure the extent of educational theory integration, this article identifies and summarizes studies that meet inclusion criteria, identifies the frequency of occurrence of Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs as a measure of student learning outcomes, and identifies and compares commonly used words within the identified construction training literature and foundational educational theory literature. This article presents a systematic review of published construction workforce training studies that have incorporated educational theory in the design and implementation of the training. The results reveal that, of the 15 construction training studies that met the inclusion criteria, two-thirds (2/3) focused on worker safety and only three studies (20%) targeted managers or designers. Fewer than 35% of terms that were identified as frequently used terms in the published construction training studies were categorized as educational. The results of this study provide a baseline of education theory–integrated construction training research, from which gaps and best practices can be identified and implemented to improve construction industry training.

Developing a New Construction Supervisory Training Programme Focusing on Productivity and Performance Improvement of Labour Operations

“…Though the significant issues related to construction supervision practices were reported by several studies, only a few studies focused on the track of training development practices for improving the competencies of industry practitioners [12][13][23][24][25][26].…”

“…Education and training play a prominent role in the creation and maintenance of a capable workforce in the construction industry [27]. Jadallah et al [26] state that the training is effective when learning is promoted through theories developed within the field of education science that focus on how learners obtain, process and retain information. [25] reveal that questionnaire surveys are used by most firms to assess the competencies of trainees.…”

“…The guide model of Manoharan et al [13] shows the detailed steps that need to be followed for the [13] for the current study purposes. Notably, the construction supervisory training guide model of Manoharan et al [13] includes the components that address all the questions recommended by Jadallah et al [26] that need to be considered during the construction training development practices.…”

Instructional Design Framework for Construction Materials Training

“…Recent research by the authors found that there is a dearth of construction industry training programs in archival literature (Jadallah et al, 2021a); and opportunities exist to implement training programs coupled with optimal assessment methodologies grounded in established educational assessment research (Jadallah et al, 2021b). This study builds upon these findings by creating a process specific to construction materials for developing a construction training framework, as well as the developed framework.…”

Case Study On The Design of a Construction Management Course Implemented Through a University Co-Teaching Initiative With A Community College

“…The integration of practical learning experiences into construction management (CM) curriculum has garnered increased attention in recent years as educators aim to better prepare students for careers in the construction industry (Jadallah et al, 2021;Wetzel & Farrow, 2023). A growing body of research underscores the need to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills to equip graduates with the abilities to tackle real-world construction problems.…”