Development of an assessment design model for inquiry based learning pedagogy in construction education in South Africa.

Abstract

ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH Construction education in South Africa is in the main undertaken using positivist methodologies which are at the core of university education. Current construction curriculums present subjects and content in silos that have no connection to each other. Students therefore experience individual classes, sessions and content perceived to have no connection or relationship with each other. Also, in this positivist approach assessment tools generally take the form of tests, examinations, assignment and projects. Success in tests and examinations indicates to the lecturer that a student has learnt something. Conversely, failure in tests and examinations suggests that no learning has taken place at all. The student experience is therefore typically one of being a receptacle in which information is deposited. Construction programmes have responded to these criticisms by experimenting with various pedagogy approaches like inquiry based learning (IBL), to improve the quality and employability of their graduates while trying to narrow the gap between what academia produces and what industry needs. Consequently, engineering and science disciplines began shifting from the lecturebased classroom and assessment format to emphasise active, research-based, and problem-based student learning. It is within this context that several researchers have called for changes in the curriculum and assessment design. This study researched the problem that the current mode of assessments in construction education at undergraduate level does not adequately measure learning so does not prepare students for construction professional practice and therefore requires an alternative assessment design model which incorporates different contemporary theories of learning synergistically in an IBL pedagogical framework. The research followed a subjective ontological philosophy, a deductive research approach, a survey research strategy, a cross sectional time horizon and a data collection technique and procedure of a questionnaire using the non-probability sampling technique of convenient sampling. The research procedure included an extensive literature review of articles that fully discussed the use of inquiry for learning in an educational context. The search resulted in 49 articles. These articles were further reviewed to identify the common facets of Inquiry based learning pedagogy. Thirty-two facets were identified as the common and importance facets. The facets were reduced to 28 base on the frequency of appearance in the IBL articles. Delphi survey with 14 construction education experts was used to identify 18 facets as the most important and having the greatest impact on assessment design in Inquiry based learning pedagogy. These facets were used to develop a conceptual model. The developed conceptual model was refined and tested using student survey assessment questionnaire administered online to 563 undergraduate students studying construction programmes at six universities in South Africa. The data from the student survey were screened using the anomaly detection node in IBM SPSS Modeller v 27, excel and statistics before subjecting them to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using IBM SPSS v27. Subsequently, structural equation modelling (SEM) using IBM SPSS AMOS v27 was used to assess and validate the structural relationship among the research constructs. The results show that the 18 facets of IBL pedagogy directly and positively influence the development of effective assessment tools to measure learning and achieve effective learning in construction programmes in South Africa and the eight hypotheses between assessment design, facets of IBL and learning were also supported. Subsequently, an IBL assessment design framework for construction programmes was developed which integrate and relate theories of learning and IBL pedagogy to construction practice and learning. The assessment model provides a foundation for policy makers, lecturers, curriculum developers and other stake holders in the improvement of the quality of education in construction education by developing effective assessment tools.

ABSTRACT IN ISIZULU Imfundo yezokwakha eNingizimu Afrika yiyona esemqoka eyenziwayo kusetshenziswa izindlela zokwenza okuhle okuyizinto ezisemqoka emfundweni ephakeme. Izifundo zamanje zokwakha ziveza izifundo nokuqukethwe kuma-silos angaxhumani. Ngakho-ke izitshudeni zithola amakilasi ngamanye, amaseshini nokuqukethwe okubonakala kungenakho ukuxhumana noma ubudlelwane komunye nomunye. Futhi, kulokhu amathuluzi wokuhlola indlela yokwenza okuhle ngokuvamile athatha uhlobo lwezivivinyo, izivivinyo, ukwabiwa kanye namaphrojekthi. Ukuphumelela ekuhlolweni nasezivivinyweni kukhombisa umfundisi ukuthi umfundi ufunde okuthile. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ukwehluleka ekuhlolweni nasezivivinyweni kusikisela ukuthi akukho kufunda okwenzekile nhlobo. Okuhlangenwe nakho kwabafundi ngakho-ke ngokuvamile kungokwamukelwa lapho kufakwa khona imininingwane. Izinhlelo zokwakha ziphendulile kulokhu kugxeka ngokuzama izindlela ezahlukahlukene zokufundisa ezinjengokubuza okusekelwe ekufundeni (i-IBL), ukwenza ngcono izinga nokuqashwa kwabafundi babo ngenkathi bezama ukunciphisa igebe phakathi kwalokhu okwenziwa yizifundiswa nalokho okudingwa yimboni. Ngenxa yalokho, imikhakha yezobunjiniyela nesayensi yaqala ukusuka kufomethi esekwe ekilasini nasekuhloleni ukugcizelela ukufunda okusebenzayo, okususelwa ocwaningweni, nasekufundeni okususelwa ezinkingeni. Kungalesi simo lapho abacwaningi abaningana becele khona ushintsho kwikharikhulamu nakwindlela yokuhlola. Lo mqondo ucwaninge inkinga yokuthi indlela yamanje yokuhlola emfundweni yezokwakha ezingeni le-undergraduate ayilinganisi ngokwanele ukufunda ngakho-ke ayilungiseli abafundi ukwenza umsebenzi wobungcweti wokwakha ngakho-ke idinga enye indlela yokwakhiwa kokuhlola okubandakanya imicabango ehlukahlukene yesimanje yokufunda ngokuvumelana ku- IBL uhlaka lokufundisa. Ucwaningo lulandele ubuhlakani ye-epistemological positivist kanye nefilosofi ye-ontological, indlela yokucwaninga ehlukanisayo, isu lokucwaninga ngenhlolovo, ubude besikhathi sokuhlukaniswa kanye nenqubo yokuqoqa imininingwane nenqubo yohlu lwemibuzo kusetshenziswa inqubo engeyona engenzeka yesampula elula. Inqubo yocwaningo ibandakanya ukubuyekezwa okubanzi kwezindatshana ezikhuluma ngokugcwele ngokusetshenziswa kophenyo lokufunda kumongo wezemfundo. Ukusesha kuholele kuma-athikili angama-shumi amane nesishagplolunye. Lezi zihloko ziphinde zabuyekezwa ukuze kutholakale izici ezivamile zemfundo yokufunda esekwe kuphenyo. Izici ezingamashumi amathathu nambili zikhonjwe njengezici ezijwayelekile nokubaluleka. Ama-facets ancishisiwe abanga mashumi amabili nesishagalombili base kumvamisa wokuvela kuma-athikili e-IBL. Ucwaningo lweDelphi olunezazi eziyi-shumi nane zezemfundo yezokwakha lusetshenziselwe ukukhomba izici eziyishumi nesishagalombili njengezibaluleke kakhulu futhi ezinomthelela omkhulu ekwakhiweni kokuhlolwa ku-pedagogy yokufunda ngokusekelwe kuphenyo. Lezi zici zisetshenziselwe ukuthuthukisa imodeli yomqondo. Imodeli yomqondo esunguliwe yathuthukiswa futhi yahlolwa kusetshenziswa uhlu lwemibuzo lokuhlolwa kwabafundi olwenziwa nge-zobuchwepheshe kubafundi abangama-563 abafundela phansi abafunda izinhlelo zokwakha emanyuvesi ayisithupha eNingizimu Afrika. Imininingwane evela ocwaningweni lwabafundi ihlolwe kusetshenziswa i-anomaly detection node ku-IBM SPSS Modeller v 27, excel kanye nezibalo ngaphambi kokuzinikela ekuhlaziyweni kwezinto (EFA) kusetshenziswa i-IBM SPSS v27. Ngemuva kwalokho, imodeli yokulinganisa kwesakhiwo (i-SEM) isebenzisa i-IBM SPSS AMOS v27 isetshenziselwe ukuhlola nokuqinisekisa ubudlelwano besakhiwo phakathi kokwakhiwa kocwaningo. Imiphumela ikhombisa ukuthi izici eziyi-shumi nesishagalombili ze-IBL pedagogy ngqo futhi zinomthelela omuhle ekwakhiweni kwamathuluzi wokuhlola asebenzayo ukukala ukufunda nokufeza ukufunda okusebenzayo ezinhlelweni zokwakha eNingizimu Afrika kanye nemibono eyisishiyagalombili phakathi kokuklanywa kokuhlola, izici ze-IBL nokufunda nakho kwasekelwa. Ngemuva kwalokho, kwasungulwa uhlaka lokwakhiwa kokuhlolwa kwe-IBL lwezinhlelo zokwakha ezihlanganisa futhi zihlobanise imicabango yokufunda kanye ne-IBL pedagogy kumkhuba wokwakha nowokufunda. Imodeli yokuhlola inikeza isisekelo kubenzi benqubomgomo, abafundisi, abathuthukisi bekharikhulamu kanye nabanye ababambiqhaza ekuthuthukiseni izinga lemfundo kwezemfundo ngokwakha amathuluzi okuhlola asebenzayo.