Participation in Construction Management Student Competitions: Perceived Positive and Negative Effects

Abstract

In the discipline of construction management (CM) student competitions are well thought of and typically have good construction industry support. However, little published research is available addressing them. This study provides empirical research documenting the positive and negative effects of CM competition participation. Data was collected via interviews and a survey. Using a grounded theory design eleven positive and four negative themes emerged including: confidence, connecting all the dots, industry involvement, leadership, motivation, presentation skills, problem-solving, real world experience, teamwork, and time management. The negative effects include: false expectations, resources, scoring methods, and time. As a grounded theory study, a three step coding process was used. The first step, open coding, identified the specific positive and negative effects. Construction industry involvement was identified as the central phenomenon through the second step, axial coding. Selective coding, the third step, then identified a cyclical pattern showing a connection between the positive effects, leadership, key CM graduate competencies, and construction industry involvement to tell the story of the phenomenon of student construction management competitions. This study found that the positive effects of competition participation outweigh the negatives and that competition participation should be encouraged for as many students as possible.

Exploring the Potential of Low Cement Concrete through a Student Concrete Competition

“…The competition aims to broaden students' knowledge on current trends in concrete technology by focusing on a particular theme. In the context of the competition, the students' goal is clearly set and their learning outcomes can be readily evaluated (Bigelow, Glick, & Aragon, 2013;Hamid, Baharom, Taha, & Kadaruddin, 2013). In this competition, learning outcomes were evaluated by analyzing concrete properties made by the participants.…”

Sustainable Design Experience: The Race to Zero Competition

“…Challenges were identified as well, but as emphasized by the faculty leader "students learned from the challenges". In addition, research has also demonstrated that competition's challenges can contribute with positive aspects for the students' experience [11]. The present study participants acknowledge the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork, so they are aligned with the requirements of the AEC industry today, which considers teamwork as the point linking sustainability and the three major processes leading the AEC industry -BIM, IPD, and LC [1], [2], [3].…”

“…The 2018 Race to Zero competition may be considered an important tool to enhance interdisciplinary teamwork among undergraduate and graduate students from AEC related disciplines. Student competitions can play an important role in the academic training of students and enhance their preparation for the industry [11]. Participants' responses confirm the importance of competitions for preparing them for future full-time jobs in the AEC industry.…”

“…Competitions can be an effective tool for student engagement and collaboration, but it can present some drawbacks or challenges for students, such as worsened academic performance, disappointment and stress [10]. It is important to emphasize that even defeat can benefit competition participants, because they will learn from real-world experiences, dealing with time shortage and learning from losing [11]. The study of student's participation in student competitions is important to evaluate the benefits and challenges perceived through these experiences.…”

“…The study of student's participation in student competitions is important to evaluate the benefits and challenges perceived through these experiences. [11], [12].…”